wrist Pain exercises

6-Minute Wrist Pain Exercises 

Our wrists never seem to stop working. We spend our days typing on keyboards, texting and scrolling on our phones, and gripping countless objects. Considering how much we use our wrists, it’s no surprise that pain, weakness, fatigue, or tingling hands are common problems. We’ve developed a 3-step routine that can help relieve wrist discomfort. All you need to perform our exercises is the spherical handle from our Osteopressure tool set and a table. You can use a wine cork if you don’t have our Osteopressure tools. Jump to our routine or keep reading to learn more about the wrist and common causes and symptoms of wrist pain.

The Gist of Your Wrist

Your wrist can bend forward and backwards, side to side, move up and down, straighten, and rotate — all thanks to a team of bones, ligaments, and tendons. 

The wrist attaches your hand to your forearm, which is made up of two bones: the ulna (on the pinky side of the forearm) and the radius (on the thumb side). The ulna and radius are connected to the hand bones (called metacarpals) by two rows of carpal bones. Each row consists of four bones: the row closest to the radius and ulna is the proximal carpals, and the row closest to the metacarpals is the distal carpals. The bones in your wrist are connected by tough cords called ligaments; the bones are attached to muscles by tendons. There are three types of tendons in the wrist: wrist flexors, extensors, and tendons that help the fingers flex and extend.

Three nerves run from the shoulder through the wrist into the hands and fingers. These nerves provide sensation. 

• The median nerve passes through the carpal tunnel — a narrow opening formed by the carpal bones — and branches off into the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers.
• The ulnar nerve runs into the ring and pinky fingers.
• The radial nerve facilitates the movement of the elbow, wrist, hand, and fingers.

Because our wrists are so complex and get more than their fair share of wear and tear, these joints are prone to injury. Common wrist injuries are:

• Sprains. A wrist sprain happens when a ligament is stretched beyond its limit or is torn.
• Fractures. A fracture occurs when a wrist bone breaks.
• Repetitive strain injury (RSI). Repetitive strain injuries result from overworking the wrist or repeating a movement. Typically, repetitive strain injuries are caused by typing, writing, or playing a sport or musical instrument. Symptoms include pain and swelling and tingly, numb, or stiff fingers. A repetitive strain injury can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome or wrist tendonitis.

Your wrist pain may be because of a condition. Common conditions that cause wrist pain include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome is when the tissues in the wrist swell and squeeze the median nerve. Symptoms of carpal tunnel are weakness or numbness in the hand and tingling in the thumb, index, middle, and ring finger.
• Wrist tendonitis. About six tendons passing through the wrist help control the movement of our wrist, hand, and fingers. Repetitive motions and overuse can inflame the tendons, causing swelling, weakness, stiffness (especially first thing in the morning), and a decreased range of motion.
• Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the result of overworking the joints and the natural ageing process. The protective cartilage covering the joints erodes, leaving the bones to rub against each other. The friction causes pain, stiffness, and swelling.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks itself. It commonly affects both wrists, causing the bones to deteriorate. Symptoms are pain, stiffness, and swelling.
• Gout. Gout is a type of arthritis that inflames the joints. The condition is caused by uric acid buildup in the blood. Our bodies produce uric acid to break down purines, compounds found in some foods. Symptoms are pain and swelling in the joints. The affected area may be tender or feel warm to the touch.

No tools? No problem.

Visit our shop to get your Osteopressure tool set. Be sure to take a look around. We’ve got lots of pain-relieving tools and products waiting to be added to your cart.

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