5 exercises to improve hand mobility If you find daily tasks difficult to do because you suffer from stiffness, swelling, or pain in your hands, the right exercises can help get you back in motion. Therapists usually suggest specific exercises depending on the condition. Some help increase a joint's range of motion or lengthen the muscle and tendons via stretching. These exercises are helpful for osteoarthritis as well as tennis elbow and golfer's elbow—but not when the joints are inflamed or painful. Other exercises strengthen muscles around a joint to generate more power or to build greater endurance. These are helpful for inflammation of the tendons (tendinitis) and nonpainful arthritis conditions. Get your copy of Healthy Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands   Beneath the skin, your hands are an intricate architecture of tendons, joints, ligaments, nerves, and bones. Each of these structures is vulnerable to damage from illness or injury. If your hands hurt, even simple tasks can become a painful ordeal. Healthy Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands describes the causes and treatments for many conditions that can cause hand pain. It also features information on hand exercises, as well as handy tools and other gadgets that take strain off your hands. Below you will find five commonly recommended exercises for hand and wrist problems. However, if your hand condition is painful or debilitating, it's best to get exercise advice from a physical therapist. All exercises should be done slowly and deliberately, to avoid pain and injury. If you feel numbness or pain during or after exercising, stop and contact your doctor. Range-of-motion exercises Your muscles and tendons move the joints through arcs of motion, as when you bend and straighten your fingers. If your normal range of motion is impaired—if you can't bend your thumb without pain, for example you may have trouble doing ordinary things like opening a jar. These exercises move your wrist and fingers through their normal ranges of motion and require all the hand's tendons to perform their specific functions. Hold each position for 5–10 seconds. Do one set of 10 repetitions, three times a day.  1. Wrist extension and flexion Place your forearm on a table on a rolled-up towel for padding with your hand hanging off the edge of the table, palm down.  Move the hand upward until you feel a gentle stretch Return to the starting position. Repeat the same motions with the elbow bent at your side, palm facing up. 2. Wrist supination/pronation Stand or sit with your arm at your side with the elbow bent to 90 degrees, palm facing down. Rotate your forearm, so that your palm faces up and then down. 3. Wrist ulnar/radial deviation Support your forearm on a table on a rolled-up towel for padding or on your knee, thumb upward. Move the wrist up and down through its full range of motion. 4. Thumb flexion/extension Begin with your thumb positioned outward. Move the thumb across the palm and back to the starting position. 5. Hand/finger tendon glide Start with the fingers extended straight out. Make a hook fist; return to a straight hand. Make a full fist; return to a straight hand. Make a straight fist; return to a straight hand. For more information on the causes and treatment of hand pain, and strengthening strategies for hands, read Healthy Hands, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School. Image: iStock Share this story:

Taming carpal tunnel syndrome Inside your wrist, a slick tunnel passes through the carpal bones. The nerves and tendons of the wrist pass through this space, called the carpal tunnel. One of these nerves, the median nerve, controls sensations in the palm side of the thumb, the index and middle fingers, and half of the ring finger. It also transmits the impulses to certain hand muscles that allow the fingers and thumb to move. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when this nerve becomes irritated or squeezed. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, pain, or weakness in the hand of the affected wrist. Because the carpal tunnel starts out narrow, it doesn't take much to aggravate or compress the median nerve. A number of conditions can make a person more prone to carpal tunnel syndrome. These include: arthritis or fracture near the wrist pregnancy diabetes being overweight or obese overuse (for example, from the repetitive motions of some jobs or sports) thyroid disease, particularly an underactive thyroid Sometimes there is no clear cause. Relieving the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome Things you can do on your own: Try to rest the affected hand for at least two weeks, and avoid the activities that worsen symptoms. It can help to wear a splint that keeps your wrist in a neutral position. Many people find that wearing a splint at night helps a lot. Some hand exercises may be helpful for people with carpal tunnel syndrome, but it's best to consult your doctor or a physical therapist. The wrong exercises, or exercises done improperly, may worsen the condition. Medications. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen can help relieve pain but won't cure carpal tunnel syndrome. Steroid injections into the carpal tunnel can also help, especially in younger people who have had symptoms only for a short time. Studies on the long-term benefits of steroid injections have had mixed results, with some finding that, for most people, pain returns within two to four months. Surgery. For people with persistent numbness, pain, or reduced hand function that doesn't respond to standard treatment, surgery may be an option. The goal of surgery is to create more space in the tunnel by releasing the transverse carpal ligament, which relieves pressure on the median nerve. Most often this procedure is day surgery and doesn't require general anesthesia. For more information on the causes and treatment of hand pain, read Healthy Hands, a Special Report from Harvard Medical School. Share this story:

Featured in this issue

Healthy Hands: Strategies for strong, pain-free hands Featured content: • The healthy hand • Arthritis of the hand • Special bonus section: Advances in artificial joints for the hand • Tendon trouble • Exercise for the hand • Carpal tunnel syndrome and other “pinched” nerves • Traumatic hand and wrist injuries