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At Home Exercises for My Wrist

The human body is a complex machine. Like all other machines, it requires maintenance to function properly. This includes diet, cardiovascular exercise, resistance exercise and range-of-motion exercise. The most common parts of the body to fail are the joints, especially those that are used frequently, such as the knees, hips, shoulders and wrists. The wrist is one of the most complex joints in the body, because it is actually two joints acting together.

  1. Wrist Motions

    • The wrist is capable of four types of movement: flexion, extension, ulnar deviation and radial deviation. Flexion occurs in the wrist when the hand is flexed toward the ground. Extension occurs when the fingers are extended to the ceiling while leaving the arm parallel to the ground. These allow the wrist to have a range of motion that consists of 90 degrees flexion, and 70 degrees extension. Ulnar and radial deviation of the wrist is movement from side to side.

    Strength

    • To strengthen the wrist, take a broom handle and hold it as if you're shaking hands with someone with the tip of the stick toward the ceiling. The arm should be slightly extended in front of the body with the shoulders relaxed. Using a combination of all the motions of your wrist, point the tip of the broom handle away from the body and make sure not to move your arm. Once the broom handle cannot be lowered any further, lift it back to the starting position. This exercise will use all the wrist muscles without excessive movement. The difficulty can be modified by using a shorter stick if a standard broom handle is too heavy.

    Stretching the wrist

    • Flexibility is also important. After any resistance training, the muscles need to be returned to a relaxed position. To stretch the wrist, point your arm straight out in front of you with your elbow relaxed and bent. Extend the fingers to the ceiling and use your opposite hand to gently pull the fingers toward the body. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds and release. Next, flex the fingers toward the ground and use the opposite hand to pull the fingers toward the body. The wrists are especially prone to arthritis and other joint diseases. Strengthening and stretching these vital joints can slow their deterioration and maintain wrist mobility.

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