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Stretches for TIngling Hands
Body Part:
Hand & Arm
Equipment:
Mini Foam Roller
Level:
Beginner
Stretches for Tingling Hands: A 15-Minute Routine
If your hands or arms are tingling or it feels like they are asleep, these exercises can help. All you need to perform our routine is our Mini Foam Roller or something similar, like a rolling pin. To maximize the benefits of our routine, exercise intensely and intelligently. Challenge yourself to perform each exercise at a high intensity that may produce an uncomfortable sensation. (This is a sign that the exercise is working.) However, do not push yourself to the point that your breaths become short and shallow or you find that you’re holding your breath or clenching your teeth. If you’d like to start exercising now, follow along with our video here. Below the video, you’ll find instructions for two additional exercises. If you’d like to learn more about what causes tingling in our hands and arms, keep reading.
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Take me to the shop.Most of us have experienced tingling in our hands and arms at some point. The sensation is often described as numbness, “pins and needles,” or that your arm or hand has “fallen asleep.” So, why do our hands tingle?
The prickly sensation may be the result of paresthesia. Paresthesia occurs when pressure is put on a nerve. If you’re experiencing paresthesia in your arm or hand, it may be that you slept with your head on your arm or with your arm under your chest. Most of the time, paresthesia is nothing to worry about. It goes away within a few minutes of the pressure being taken off the nerve. If paresthesia lasts longer than a few minutes, or you experience it regularly, consult a doctor. Chronic paresthesia may be a sign that you have an underlying medical condition needing attention.
Your hands may be tingling because of nerve entrapment syndrome. Most people refer to the condition as pinched nerve; it is also known as nerve compression syndrome, a trapped nerve, and compression neuropathy. Nerve entrapment syndrome usually affects nerves that run through small passageways. If the tissue surrounding the nerve becomes swollen or inflamed, the nerve is squeezed. You’re at a higher risk of developing a pinched nerve if your job or the sport you play requires repetitive movements. Nerve entrapment syndrome is common among people who type, work construction or on an assembly line, play baseball, golf, tennis, bicycle, or lift weights. In addition to tingling and numbness, your hand or arm may hurt or feel weak.
Although there are many different types of nerve entrapment syndrome, the most common is carpal tunnel syndrome. According to research, most people who experience pain and tingling in their hands have carpal tunnel.1) The condition occurs when your median nerve is compressed. The median nerve begins in your armpit, runs the length of your arm, passes through the carpal tunnel — a narrow passage at the base of your palm — and branches off into your thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. The median nerve does not run into your pinky finger.
Chest & Arm Stretch
*While performing this stretch, your hand may start to tingle; this is a sign that you are stretching the affected area.
- Stand facing the corner of a room.
- Raise your arms so they are at an angle of between 30° and 45° to your shoulders.
- Place your hands on the wall and lean your upper chest into the corner.
- You’ll feel a stretch in your chest, arms, and into your hands.
- Lean closer to the wall to intensify the stretch. When the sensation becomes strong, hold for 2 to 2.5 minutes.
- Step back, slowly lower your arms and finish.
Wrist Stretch
- Stand in front of a table.
- Place both hands on the table and straighten your arms.
- Rotate your affected hand outward until your fingers point toward your thigh.
- Keeping your hands flat, step away from the table and gently pull your arm back until you feel a stretch in your hand, wrist, and at the base of your forearm.
- Step further back to intensify the stretch.
- Hold for 2 to 2.5 minutes.
- Slowly release your hand from the position and finish.
- Repeat on the other hand.
Forearm Foam Roll Massage
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Starting position: stand facing a wall
- Bend your affected arm so that your forearm is vertical to the wall. Face your palm to the wall.
- Place the Mini Foam Roller between your wrist and the wall. Put your free hand on top of your wrist and press.
- Slowly roll in the direction of your elbow, moving your free hand down your forearm to keep the pressure constant.
- To increase the pressure of the foam roll massage, lean your upper body toward the wall.
- Roll for 2 minutes, and stop when you reach your elbow.
- Turn your hand so the back is facing the wall. Place the Mini Foam Roller between your wrist and the wall and repeat.
- When you’ve finished foam rolling, repeat the Forearm Foam Roll massage on your other arm.
What’s Next? Develop a Routine.
Perform our stretches for tingling hands 6 days a week and leave one day for rest. As soon as the tingle goes away, you can adjust how often you exercise.
Please seek immediate medical attention if your hand is tingling and you have diabetes, the tingling starts suddenly for no apparent reason, the tingling lasts longer than a few minutes, or the tingling occurs periodically and/or increases in intensity, frequency, and duration.
Sources & Studies
- ↑1 Burton, C., Chesterton, L. S., & Davenport, G. (2016). A painful tingling hand. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 355, i6386. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6386.
The Best Exercises and Tips Against Tingling Hands
Download our FREE PDF guide featuring our 6 most effective exercises for preventing and getting rid of tingling hands.
All gain. No pain.
If you have tingling hands, you might also be interested in the following relief exercises:
Carpal Tunnel Exercises
Take the pressure off of your median nerve with this 10-minute routine. No more tingling or numbness in your hands.
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Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Exercises
Decompress your ulnar nerve and relieve the pain, numbness, and tingling in your elbow, forearm, and fingers.
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Elbow Pain Exercises
If your elbow hurts, consistently stretching your arm can help manage the pain. This 2-step routine takes just 5 minutes.
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