Strain Care: 3 Stretches for Your Wrists
We live by using our hands to interact with the world in the most direct way. It’s hard to imagine how we could live without them, yet we tend to spend little time maintaining them. If a physical action must be repeated frequently, strain may result. Prolonged periods of work on a computer or playing an instrument can cause pain, tension, or numbness in the hands, wrists, and forearms. These are the signs of repetitive strain injury, a condition which affects many of us as we work here in Boston.
Prevent strain and gain strength, endurance, and flexibility with these 3 stretches:
Wrist Flexor Stretch – Click to see – Hold 5-10 seconds – Stay comfortable – The goal here is to bend the hand backwards to stretch the palm side of the forearm, wrist, and hand.
Wrist Extensor Stretch – Click to see – Hold 5-10 Seconds – Stay comfortable – Keep the elbow relatively straight as you grip across the knuckles with the other hand and pull.
Thumb Flexor Stretch – Click to see – Hold 5-10 seconds – Stay comfortable – Bend the hand back a bit and then pull the thumb toward the forearm. The point is to stretch the pad of muscle at base of the thumb where it meets the palm.