Shot Put Carpal Tunnel Exercises

Sports like shot put and tennis as well as activities like typing can cause carpal tunnel injuries. This will often happen when there is a muscle imbalance in the hand. For example, a shot put player always throws or puts the shot by flexing his wrist. This motion uses the flexor muscles of the wrist and forearm, but not the extensor or rotator muscles. You must strengthen the extensor and rotator muscles to ease the pain and prevent further injury.

Preventing and Correcting Carpal Tunnel

• Carpal tunnel syndrome is a pain in the wrist that is caused by compression of the median nerve, which runs down the center of the wrist to the forearm. Injuries can happen in shot put when the flexor muscles in this area are overused and the extensor muscles are weak. You can take pressure off the median nerve by stretching the flexor muscles and strengthening the extensor muscles.

Stretching Exercises

• Shot put players should concentrate on stretching the muscles of their fingers and forearms. Stretching before and after exercise---or "prehabilitiation," according to Jeff Anliker, LMT---can play a role in carpal tunnel prevention. You can also do stretches daily to ease carpal tunnel pain. Shot put players need to concentrate on stretching the forearm's flexor muscles, found on the underside of your arm, because throwing the shot strains these muscles. (Wrist flexion is when your palm and fingers are bent back over your forearm.) The extensor muscles, found on the top of the forearm, are only used lightly in shot put, when you hold the shot under your chin before the throw.

  To stretch your flexor muscles, hold your arms out in front of you and pull your hand back so that your fingers are pointing upward. Then make a fist and do the same stretch. By activating the extensor muscles to pull the wrist back, you are gently stretching the flexor muscles on the underside of your forearm. This loosens the muscles that are overused when putting the shot put. Hold each stretch for 10 or more seconds.

Strengthening Exercises

• An excellent way to strengthen the wrist to offset injuries from shot put is to practice rotating the forearm from a pronated to a supinated position. Pronation is when your arm is held palm down; supination is when your arm is held palm up. Place your forearm on a counter or table with your palm down in a pronated position. Gently supinate your arm by turning it over so that the back of your hand is resting on the table. Go back and forth 10 times.