Finger Exercises for Typing

Finger exercises can prevent typing injuries.

Typing requires finger dexterity and practice. Incorrect placement of fingers on the keyboard and weak finger muscles can lead to repetitive use injuries. Twenty-nine bones, 29 joints, 123 ligaments and 34 muscles are used every time you type a sentence, according to the website for the Electronic Textbook of Hand Surgery. Finger exercises for typing can strengthen muscles and prevent injuries.

Warming up Fingers

Before exercising in the gym, it is important to warm up the major and minor muscles of the body. Typing is a workout for the fingers. Lay your hand flat on a table with all fingers touching. Spread your fingers apart as far as possible and hold for three seconds. Close fingers together. Repeat this exercise 10 times.

Stretching Fingers

Stretching fingers is just as important as warming up the muscles of the hand. To stretch your finger muscles, hold your hands facing each other. Touch the thumb from your right hand to the thumb of your left hand. Touch the first finger on your right hand to the first finger on the left hand. Repeat until all fingers are touching.

With fingers pressed together, pull palms away from each other creating a cup shape with the fingers and palm on each hand. Starting at the finger tips, slowly move palms closer together, rolling the pressure down the fingers until all four fingers are pressed together. Hold for 10 seconds. Move back to the starting position and repeat 10 times.

Aerobics for Fingers

Once fingers are warmed up and stretched, it is time to start finger exercises for typing. Hold the hand in the air with fingers spread apart so it looks like a "high-five." Move just the thumb to the palm and press. Bring the thumb back out to the starting position and move the first finger to the palm and press. Move the first finger back to the starting position and repeat slowly with the remaining fingers. Fingers not pressing into the palm should be held as straight as possible. After one round of finger exercises for typing, try again a little faster. Repeat 10 times, increasing speed with each round.

Weight Training for Fingers

The muscles of the hand and forearm are responsible for many finger movements on the keyboard. A simple piece of paper is all that is needed to exercise finger, hand, and forearm muscles. Grab a scrap piece of paper and crumble it into a ball with one hand. Squeeze the paper ball tight and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat with the other hand.

References

• Eat On Hand: Hand Facts and Trivia

Resources

• Nimble Fingers: Finger Exercises