Top Hand Therapy Exercises

What kind of hand therapy exercises are best to help with grip strength, range of motion, and flexibility? We asked Summit Orthopedics hand therapist Sara Balster, MS, OTR/L, CHT, to share her best hand therapy exercises to help with common hand symptoms.

“The hand therapy exercises we use vary a lot. They’re tailored to the individual’s needs based on a detailed evaluation,” Balster said. “But in general, if you have stiffness and tightness to work on, there are a few exercises that can help.”

Top three general hand therapy exercises

Note: If you want to see photos or videos of these exercises, just type the name of the exercise into your favorite search engine.

1. Tendon gliding exercises

   — “This is a set of movements that should be performed in order,” Balster said.

• Rest your elbow on a tabletop, fingers pointing straight to the ceiling.
• Then bend the middle and tip joints of your fingers into a hook fist.
• Next, bend the knuckles down into a full fist.
• Then, keeping your big knuckles bent, straighten the middle and end joints of the fingers to make a “tabletop.”
• Finally, bend the middle joint of your fingers, with the goal of getting your fingertips to touch your palm. “We call this last position a straight fist,” Balster said.

2. Wrist range of motion exercises

• Begin by bending your wrist forward, then moving your wrist backward.
• Bring your arm by your side with your elbow at 90 degrees.
• Rotate your hand, so your palm is facing the ceiling.
• Then, rotate your palm, so it faces the ground.

3. Forearm stretching exercises

• Hold the affected arm in front of you, palm down.
• Use your other hand to gently press the wrist down to feel a stretch at the top of your forearm.
• Then, in the same position, stretch your wrist and fingers back to feel a stretch along the bottom of your forearm.

For every exercise, Balster advised, “Go slowly. You want to feel a gentle, comfortable stretch, but stop before you feel any pain.”

More resources for you:

• Find out how hand therapy can help arthritis
• Learn more about the common reasons athletes may need hand surgery
• Learn how cold weather can impact arthritis

Share this on