How to Do Ergonomic Hand Exercises

Consistent overuse of hand and wrist muscles cause hand fatigue, repetitive muscle strain and even carpel tunnel syndrome. Take time to strengthen and stretch your hands in order to avoid musculoskeletal disorders that cause persistent pain and may even disrupt your livelihood.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Do a posture check before you begin your ergonomic hand exercises. Sit up in your desk chair, relaxing your shoulders and lengthening your spine until it is neutral from your hips to the top of your head. Concentrate on contracting abdominal muscles to provide lumbar support and stability. Take deep breaths, making sure to continue breathing throughout the exercises. Providing oxygen to your muscles is critical to keeping them healthy.
2. Warm up your hand and finger muscles by clenching your hand into a fist and releasing it to an open palm and extended fingers. Do this ten to fifteen times in a row, concentrating on contracting every finger and muscle in each hand.
3. Extend one arm in front of you, with the palm facing away from your body and fingers pointing upward. Stretch your fingers by gently pulling them back toward your body, one at a time. After stretching every finger, gently pull them all toward your body at the same time to extend the stretch into your palm. Hold each of your stretch positions for 10 to 20 seconds.
4. Straighten one arm with the palm facing the floor, and gently press the fingers down toward the floor. Your palm should be facing your body, and you should feel a stretch in the top of your wrist. Hold the stretch for 10 to 20 seconds, and then release and switch hands.
5. Place your palms together several inches above your head, and bring them slowly down in front of your face into a prayer-like position. Continue to lower your arms and hands until your wrists are slightly below the elbows and your forearms are parallel with the floor. Hold this stretch position for 10 to 20 seconds.

Tips & Warnings

• In addition to doing your hand exercises several times a day, think about buying a new keyboard and mouse to reduce wrist compression and maximize circulation while you're typing. You can find a variety of ergonomic computer accessories at ErgoDirect.com (see Resources below).
• Don't overstretch your fingers or hands. Forcing a stretch is more likely to elicit a tensing reflex, causing increased muscle tightness rather than muscle relaxation.