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Postoperative Hand Exercises

Three of the most common hand surgeries include those done for carpal tunnel syndrome, ganglion cyst removal and arthritis in the thumb joint. Postoperative exercises for the hand include range-of-motion exercises, strengthening exercises and scar massage exercises.

  1. Range-of-Motion Exercises

    • Try and touch your thumb to each fingertip.

      Begin range-of-motion exercises on the way home from surgery. Gently extend your fingers until they are as straight as you can make them, and then flex the fingers as far as you can. Don't force it too much. Repeat this exercise 50 times an hour if you've had carpal tunnel surgery or had a ganglion cyst removed. The Cedar Valley Hand Surgery website advises extending and flexing your fingers frequently, but not as repetitively if you've had arthritis surgery on the thumb.

      During the second postoperative week, extend and flex your fingers, and then try touching each finger to your thumb and your thumb to the far side of your palm. It's easier to do these hand exercises when you take your splint off for showering. Cedar Valley Hand Surgery recommends doing these exercises several times a day. If you've had arthritis surgery, it won't be until the fifth through seventh week that you remove your splint for range-of-motion exercises four times a day.

      In the third week after cyst removal, flex, extend, wave and rotate the wrist several times a day.

    Strengthening Exercises

    • Start with a very soft ball and then move on to firmer balls.

      Strengthening exercises begin in the third week after carpal tunnel or ganglion cyst surgery but not until the eighth postoperative week if you've had surgery on an arthritic thumb. Grip a soft ball three to four times a day for five to 10 minutes. As your strength increases, use harder or more resistant tools such as firm balls, grip strengtheners or exercise putty. Continue these exercises for four to five months after carpal tunnel or ganglion cyst surgery and up to a year after the arthritis surgery.

    Scar Massage

    • Scar massage helps retrain nerves.

      Use lotion to massage scarring areas after stitches are removed. This helps loosen the scar tissue, retrain the nerve endings and reduce swelling. Scar massage begins three to four days after sutures are removed for three to five minutes twice a day. Continue scar massage for four to five months.

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