Hand Exercises for Patients with Arthritis Do the exercises slowly and gently. You might expect to feel some achiness after exercise but it should not last for more than two hours. Even on bad days, still do the exercises but do fewer repetitions. Increase very gradually. Please do _____ repetitions _____ a day. Fingers 1
It is important to keep the joints of your hands mobile. So, within the limits of pain, do some gentle stretching exercises to the end of the range of movement – this means to the point at which you start to feel stiffness. Do these little and often to get the best results.
To massage your fingers, start at the tips and push toward the hand. You can massage all the fingers in a group or individually. Work each hand for 1 minute. Squeeze a stress ball or make a tight fist. Relax and repeat. Repeat 10-20 times with each hand.
Mayo Clinic: Hand Exercises for People with Arthritis Touch your fingertips Bend your fingers . Make a fist Open your hand wide Walk your fingers . Author: Marie Glendenning Created Date: 3/26/2012 11:53:54 AM ...
Hand exercises may help to reduce stiffness, improve muscle strength and joint range of motion in people who have arthritis. There is no one-size-fits-all hand prescription for people with arthritis, but an occupational therapist, physiotherapist or rheumatologist can help design a program especially for your hands.
These exercises are used to gain more range of movement in your hand. They should be done to a limit of mild discomfort, but not pain. If you are struggling, your therapist can advise on alternative exercises. To help straighten the fingers, place your hand on a flat surface.
The following exercises are designed to help keep the joints in your fingers, thumb and wrist from getting stiff and may also improve the strength in your muscles. Your therapist will advise which exercises are going to be most useful for you. Prior to commencing your exercises, it is useful to warm up your hands, either by soaking
1. Straight position: Start with an open hand. 2. Hook position: Bend your fingers at the middle joints so the tips are touching the pads at the base of your fingers. 3. Duck position: Straighten the middle joints of your fingers so your hand forms an “L” shape. 4. Straight fist position: Bend your fingers at the first and middle joints only.
Regular hand exercises will help improve grip strength and dexterity. The programme and workbook help you to gradually develop a hand exercise routine over the 4 weeks of the programme and beyond. And can do everyday tasks more easily. But YOU need to do these exercises OFTEN ENOUGH for them to work. Do them regularly, not just when in pain.
The aim of these exercises is to maintain strength, movement and function in your hands. Don’t worry if you are unable to manage the full movement/exercise. Just try to get as close to doing the exercises shown in the picture as you can. To begin with, try doing the following exercises 5 times each, once a day for each hand:
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