How to Strengthen Your Wrist with Hand Therapy

Strengthening your wrist through hand therapy can be effectively addressed with specific, targeted exercises like the Wrist Flexion/Extension.

Wrist Flexion and Extension Exercise

This exercise is a fundamental movement designed to improve the strength and flexibility in the muscles of your wrist.

How to Perform the Exercise:

1. Starting Position: Rest your arm on a table. Allow your hand to hang freely off the edge of the table.
2. Wrist Flexion: Bend your wrist downwards as far as comfortable, until you feel a stretch.
3. Hold: Hold this stretched position for 5 seconds.
4. Return: Slowly return your hand back to the starting position.
5. Wrist Extension: Now, bend your wrist upwards as far as comfortable, until you feel a stretch.
6. Hold: Hold this stretched position for 5 seconds.
7. Return: Slowly return your hand back to the starting position.

Performing this exercise helps to work the muscles responsible for bending the wrist down (flexion) and bending the wrist up (extension), contributing to overall wrist strength as part of hand therapy.