[By Karen Newman, MS, OTR/L, CHT, Manager of Outpatient Rehab Services, Hand Rehabilitation Center at Albany Memorial Campus.]
While hand and wrist pain can occur any time of year, the holidays are particularly fraught with opportunities for overuse and injury. Basic holiday tasks such as wrapping presents, tying bows, and addressing greeting cards can aggravate arthritis, tendonitis or carpel tunnel, while marathon sessions of shoveling and decorating can lead to fatigued hands and wrists.
If you’ve experienced hand pain from overuse, an injury, or arthritis, you know how it can limit your activities and really put a damper on holiday celebrations. The goal is to build strength and flexibility in your hands, as well as protect them, so they withstand the wear and tear of holiday hazards and your daily life.
The gentle art of stretching your wrists and hands daily increases flexibility, helping to lower the risk of injury. Stretches are recommended as a preventive measure or to ease slight pain, but talk to your doctor or therapist first if you have inflammation, joint damage, or severe pain. In those cases, incorrect exercise could cause additional harm, and you should learn proper exercise technique from a hand therapist.
The following are two simple stretches that can be done at home, work, or on the go to help get you started on the path to greater hand flexibility and potentially less discomfort this holiday season. Neither exercise should cause pain or tingling when completed properly.
Most people don’t realize the tendons in their hands travel past their wrist into their forearms. A standard exercise taught here at the Hand Rehabilitation Center at Albany Memorial Campus is called tendon gliding. It involves moving the tendons that flex the fingers through their full range, in order to reduce inflammation and potential adhesions between them. A good YouTube instructional video on tendon gliding is “Tendon Gliding – Southlake Hand Therapy.”
Another exercise regularly taught by our certified hand therapists at Albany Memorial involves gentle stretching of the extensors and flexors of the forearm. A good YouTube instructional video for this can be found at “Forearm Stretch: Stretching Wrist Extensors/Flexors.” While a lot of information on YouTube can be variable in accuracy, these are two reliable resources.
Remember, stretching is a healthy habit you can incorporate into your daily routine anytime, anywhere, and it has benefits far beyond the immediate relief you’ll feel during the busy holiday season. Take some time to perform these stretches daily; your hands will thank you!
When your hands and upper extremities hurt, you hurt. But healing is possible with specialized care from The Hand Rehabilitation Center at Albany Memorial Campus, part of St. Peter’s Health Partners Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and located at 600 Northern Blvd. in Albany. We are one of the Capital Region’s busiest and most trusted hand therapy centers, offering a unique outpatient program dedicated to rehabilitation of hand and arm disorders.
Our specialized staff of occupational, physical, and certified hand therapists combine state-of-the-art treatment techniques and equipment with more traditional therapies. We offer easy access and typically see new patients within three business days. We work closely with referring providers, so you receive therapies that meet your needs.
For more information, please visit Hand Rehabilitation | Albany Memorial Campus or call 518-427-3373.
