Hand strengthening exercise: Muscle worked, Health Benefits, How to do?

Hand strengthening exercise and stretch exercise is the best option to improve the performance of your hand. This exercise helps to improve performance in your day-to-day activity and also reduces the risk of injury.

What is hand strengthening exercise?

Hand Strengthening exercises are exercises that are designed to increase the strength of specific muscles of hands. Hand Strengthening exercises overload the muscle until the point of muscle is fatigued. This force and overload of a muscle encourage growth, increasing muscle strength.

Your hands are more susceptible to injuries than the other parts of your body.
the hands are the most used part of the body, for holding objects and complete activities of daily living, for preventing hand injury you have to do regular exercise on your hands.

Which muscles are used for hand strengthening exercise?

Following is the list of Hand muscles that are strengthened when you are doing this exercise.

• Palmar interosseous
• Adductor pollicus
• Flexor digitorum superficialis
• Flexor digitorum profundus
• Opponents digiti minimi
• Opponens policies
• Flexor pollicus brevis
• Flexor digiti minimi
• Flexor pollicis longus

Health Benefits of Hand strengthening exercise.

• Helps to strengthen the muscles around the joints for better support
• Helps to Increase the circulation of synovial fluid (lubricates and helps cushion the joints to keep them moving smoothly)
• Helps to increase blood flow to your hands.
• Helps to warm your muscles and ligaments
• Helps to increase the oxygen and nutrients that circulate through the joint’s membranes, triggering the process of removing cell debris from joints.
• Helps to Improve flexibility
• Helps to improve range of motion
• Helps to Reduce joint injury
• Helps to reduce the risk of injury by elongating the muscles
• Helps to Relieve pain in the hand.

Hand Exercises To Strengthen The Hand muscle And Maintain its Flexibility

Using A Squeeze Ball

• For this exercise, you need softball. hold a softball in your palm and squeeze it as hard as you can do without feeling pain.
• Hold this squeeze for 5-7 seconds, then release grip.do this exercise 12-15 times for each of your hands, do 2-3 times in a week, then rest approximately 24 to 30 hours before you are going for the next session.
• This exercise will improve your ability to grip things without dropping them, as well as help you to comfortably open doorknobs throughout the day.

Making A Fist

• Do this on a single hand make a gentle fist then wrap your thumb under your fingers.
• Hold this fist for one minute, then release the fist by spreading and opening all of your fingers as wide as you can do.
• Do this exercise 4-5 times with each hand.
• This exercise will help to improve your range of motion.

Lifting Your Fingers

• Start this with your right hand, place it flat, palm down on a table.
• Then begin with your thumb, gently lift each finger off the table.
• Hold each of your fingers for 2-4 seconds and then take your finger down.
• Do this moves with your left hand then repeat 10-12 times for each hand.
• This exercise can help to improve the range of motion of your hands, as well as your finger mobility.

Stretching Your Wrists

• For this exercise, you have to stand or sit in a chair with your right arm straight in front of you.
• Then flexed your wrist your fingers pointing towards the floor.
• With your left hand gently flexed your right wrist towards you until you feel moderate stretching your forearm (posterior side of your wrist).
• Hold this stretch position for 30 to 35 seconds.
• Then do this on the left hand.
• Repeat for 4 to 5 times on each hand.

Finger bends

• Straight your left arm in front of you with your palm facing toward the ground. bend your thumb down to your palm. then flexed your index finger down towards your palm.
• Hold this for 2 seconds. then extend it.
• Do this on the remaining fingers on your right hand one at a time.
• Do this movement on the right hand.

Thumb bend

• Start with your right hand out, with all of your fingers straight.
• Flexed your thumb inside toward your palm.
• Then Stretch toward the bottom of your pinky finger with your thumb.
• If you can not reach your pinky finger, then do not worry.
• You stretch your thumb as far as you do. hold this stretch for 15 to 20 seconds.
• Perform this exercise on the left hand.

Make an ‘O’

• Perform this exercise a few times a day on both hands.
• You can do this stretch whenever you feel your hands are stiff.
• Curve all your finger to your thumb to form an “O” shape hold this for a couple of seconds then straighten your fingers, do this in both hands.

Table bend

• Place the little finger-side edge of your right hand on a table, with your hand extended and your thumb pointed upward.
• Holding your thumb in this position, flexed the other four fingers inward until your hand makes an “L” shape.
• Hold it for two seconds, then extend your fingers to move them back into the initial position. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
• Do the same movement on your right hand.

Finger lift

• Put your right-hand flat on a table, palm down.
• You have to start with your thumb, lift each finger slowly off the table one at a time.
• Hold each finger for 2 or 4 seconds, then lower it down.
• Do the same movement with the right hand.

Rollback and forth

• You can Do this exercise by using a small ball, like a tennis ball or stress ball.

• Put the ball on a flat surface such as a table or a bench.
• Using your left hand, roll the ball from your palm to the tips of your fingers to stretch out each digit.
• Roll the ball back to its initial position. perform this exercise with your right hand.

Thumb extension

• Do this exercise 3 times per week.

• Place one or more elastic bands around all of your fingers and make a loose fist with your left hand.
• Put your hand on a table. flexed and move your thumb away from the hand.
• Hold this for 10 to 12 seconds. do this exercise 12 to 15 times.repeat this exercise with your right hand.

Finger stretch

• Perform this exercise 4 times per week. put your left hand on a table.
• Use the right hand to apply gentle pressure to your finger joints. you can stretch one finger at a one time.
• Press this for 30 seconds.
• Then perform this exercise with your right hand.

Putty Grip And Squeeze Exercise

• A ball blocks your moves and only allows you to strengthen within a limited range of motion.

• Grab the putty in your hand and squeeze it into your hand until your fingertips reach to your palm, then release and manipulate the putty in your hand and prepare to squeeze again.Do this for 2 to 3 minutes for 15 to 18 repetitions.

Thumb Pinch Strengthening Exercise:

• For this exercise, you need a soft foam ball or some putty pinch in between the tips of your fingers and your thumb.
• Hold for 20 to 40 seconds.
• Do this 10 to 15 times on bilateral hands.

Isometric Hooks Exercises

• The right hand will be facing palm up and the left hand will be facing palm down. Once your fingers are clasped together, use your arms to pull in an outward position while maintaining your hook fists. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds then relax.

• You don’t need any equipment for this exercise, just your other hand. An isometric exercise is when you contract a muscle without moving your hand using the maximal voluntary contraction.

Rubber Band Abduction Exercise:

• Wrap the rubber band over all four fingers. Don’t include your thumb. then spread your fingers apart as far as you can, hold for 5 to 10seconds then relax. Repeat 10-15 times.
• This exercise target your deep hand muscles.

Rubber Band ‘C’ Thumb Exercise:

• Wrap the rubber band over all four fingers. keep your fingers together, move your thumb out into a c position, not in upward
• Make a c with fingers and thumbs, hold for 5 to 8 seconds then relax.
• Repeat this 10 to 12 times.it will look like you are opening your hand to hold a cup.

When did you not do Hand strengthening exercise?

• If your wrist is injured.
• If your doctor is advised to take a rest.
• If you feel any pain or tension in your wrist then stop doing this exercise.

Author: Priti Tirgar