Are You Doing Right Exercise for Wrist Pain? These 8 easy exercises will surely help you

There are many different reasons for wrist pain. Some of the important reasons could be the formation of a mass or lump on the back of the wrist, these nodules are actually ganglion cyst which is non-cancerous and in most cases, it is not harmful. If it is detected earlier it can easily be managed with exercises and self-massage. Another common cause is carpal tunnel syndrome. That is, there is a tunnel in our wrist here, which we call it carpal tunnel through which the veins and nerves pass. For some reason, the carpal tunnel shrinks a bit, and then the vein, and the nerve gets compressed inside it producing pain in our hands, and numbness, with tingling.

Another important cause could be an old injury like a scaphoid fracture. This means that old pain, an old hairline fracture when you might have fallen this way, that is hurting you today after two years, three years. Pain could also be due to wrist tendonitis, or sprain. For all these conditions exercises are effective management if intervention is done early. So, without delay let’s start with the tips.

Easy exercise for wrist pain relief

The exercises for wrist pain are aimed at strengthening the muscles around the wrist, stretching the stiff and tight flexor and extensor muscles. All these exercises help gain the wrist joint of motion and thereby reduce swelling and pain. However, for wrist ganglion cysts in addition to exercises, self-massage is very important. So, let us start with self-massage for lump formation on the back of the wrist.

#1 Exercise for ganglion cyst in wrist

So first, let me tell you tips about the wrist ganglion cyst. There is no medicine for the formation of the nodule on our wrist, even if you go to the doctor, they will refuse to give medicines. In the advanced stage, either the aspiration of the cyst is performed using the syringes or surgical excision is done. In the early stage, self-massage can be very effective in reducing the swelling of wrist mass.

So how will you do it? You have to perform this self-massage using your thumb.

1. So, take your thumb and keep it over the lump and press it lightly.
2. Press it firmly and then rotate your thumb in a circular motion as displayed in the figure.

Okay, move your thumb in a circular motion while still pressing the lump. You do this daily, whenever you get time, when you are free, you are sitting in the office, you are at home, whenever you have time, you should do it this way, okay. 

Along with this, you also have to keep exercising your wrist. You can follow all the exercises that we are going to learn subsequently in this article.

#2 Wrist flexion-extension range of motion exercise

Because of the wrist pain, it is obvious that there will develop stiffness around the wrist joint. So to keep the flexibility of the wrist joint we have to perform wrist range of motion (ROM) exercises. There are several ranges of motion exercises the first one is flexion and extension of the wrist. A very simple but effective exercise and a very important exercise for wrist pain.

1. For this exercise for wrist pain, you have to sit straight or stand straight and then keep your hand at your shoulder level in front of you.
2. So this will be your starting position, and you must remember that your wrist will remain entirely straight, and the palm will face downward.
3. Now, you bend your wrist downward and then upward in this position.
4. When we turn in a downward direction, we call it wrist flexion; if we bend in an upward trend, we call it wrist extension. 
5. Do this motion smoothly and slowly without any hurry,
6. Repeat this flexion and extension motion of the wrist joint a minimum of 15 to 20 times in a single session; however, the more you do, the better it is.

#3 Wrist radial & ulnar deviation for tendonitis ulnar

This is the second wrist joint range of motion exercise for wrist pain we have to bend our wrist sideways. Here we have to perform radial deviation and ulnar deviation motion. So when we bend our wrist towards the thumb we call it radial deviation and when we bend towards the little finger we call it ulnar deviation. You don’t have to get confused with the terms, let me explain the science behind the name of this movement.

Our forearm has two long bones one is radial bone and another is ulna bone. Radial bone is present on the outer side of the forearm, i.e, it aligns with the thumb and the ulna bone aligns with the little finger. That is why when we bent the wrist towards the radius bone, i.e, towards the thumb then we call it radial deviation and when we bend towards the ulna bone, i.e, the little finger we call it ulnar deviation.

For this exercise for wrist pain, our starting position would be the same as the above exercise with a little deviation; here, we have to keep our palms facing inward. We have to keep both the palms facing each other. Now, you can bend your wrist joint up and down in this position. The upward motion will be the radial deviation, and the downward movement will be the ulnar deviation. Please do this exercise smoothly and slowly and repeat it for at least 15 to 20 times in a single session. The more you do, the better it is.

#4 Wrist circumduction for wrist sprain

One of the reasons for pain could be a wrist sprain for which the circumduction of the wrist works well. so, the third and final range of motion exercise for wrist pain is wrist circumduction. It is the motion that combines all the wrist motions, i.e, flexion, extension, radial and ulnar deviation. So simply rotate your wrist clockwise and anticlockwise direction perform this 10 to 15 times in a single session the more you do the better it is. 

#5 Wrist flexor stretching exercise for wrist pain

Wrist stretching exercise is also essential for the flexibility of the wrist joint. Due to the pain and inactivity, stiffness develops in the muscles around the wrist joint. So, we need to stretch it to increase the range. So, the first stretching exercise for wrist pain is stretching of wrist flexor muscles.

1. So, the starting position would be the same: you have to keep your hand straight in front of you at shoulder level, and the palm should be facing downward.
2. Now, to stretch the left wrist flexor muscles, take your right hand, keep it over the finger and Palm area, bend It upward, and pull it towards yourself.
3. Pull it to a point where you will feel a comfortable stretch on the palmer side of the wrist.
4. Hold this position for a minimum of 30 seconds and then release it.
5. Now, you can repeat the same procedure on the right side, keep the stretched work for at least 30 seconds, and remove it.
6. Repeat this procedure three to four times on each side.

#6 Wrist extensor stretching for dorsal wrist pain exercises

The following exercise for wrist pain is to stretch the wrist extensor muscles. The wrist extensor group of muscles is present on the dorsal side of the wrist and forearm; the action of these muscles produces extension of the wrist joint. So, to stretch this muscle, we need to Flex the wrist joint.

1. The starting position would be the same as the previous exercise.
2. In this position, to stretch the wrist extensor muscle of the left side, take your right hand and keep it over the dorsal side of the Palm and finger, and then bend the wrist joint downward.
3. Bend It and pull it towards yourself to a point where you will feel comfortable stretching on the upper side of the wrist joint.
4. Hold this position for a minimum of 30 seconds and then release it.
5. Could you repeat the same procedure on the right-hand side? You must repeat the stretching exercise at least three to four times on each right and left wrist joint.

#7 Strengthening exercise for wrist pain

We must also focus on the strength of the muscles around the wrist joint. Pain and interactivity result in the weakness of muscles, so we need to strengthen them. These exercises for wrist pain are straightforward, and you need a litre of water bottle and a 1 kg dumbbell to perform these exercises.

The starting position would be the same, and in this position, you need to hold the water bottle and then perform all the range of motion exercises we discussed above. 

1. For example, to strengthen the extensor group of muscles, have the water bottle and keep your palm facing downward; bend your wrist upward in this position. This will help you strengthen the wrist extensor muscles. 
2. To enhance the wrist flexor muscle, you have to change the part of the palm; it should be e facing upward. Now, hold the water bottle or 1 kg dumbbell in this position and bend your wrist upward.
3. Similarly, you can perform radial deviation and ulnar deviation motion by keeping the water bottle to strengthen the muscles on both sides of the forearm. 
4. Repeat all the exercises for a minimum of 10 to 15 times in a single session; however, as I always say, the more you do, the better it is

#8 Grip strengthening exercise

After that, another exercise for wrist pain is the grip strengthening exercise. For this, you need a silicone gel ball. So, for grip strength, you must hold and squeeze it firmly. This is also an excellent exercise. Often, pain occurs due to the weakness of muscles around the wrist.

So that strength will come from it. You can also find a sponge ball in the shop, but it could be more effective; this gel ball is more effective, and I recommend it to my patients. So, there are no limitations; you can do as much as possible. Sitting at home or sitting free, you will always do it. 

Final words

Perform all these exercises for a minimum of two weeks. I recommend performing twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening, and you will find tremendous relief from the wrist pain. If you need guidance in exercises after the surgery of the wrist fracture, then follow these wrist fracture exercises.

However, if these exercises for wrist pain are not helping you, then there could be different reasons for the pain. You should immediately consult your doctor for further suggestions; they might go for a deeper investigation that will help to pinpoint the exact cause of the pain.

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Sunit. S. Ekka

Dr Sunit Sanjay Ekka is a physiotherapist in practice for the last 15 years. He has done his BPT from one of the premium Central Government physiotherapy colleges, ie, SVNIRTAR. The patient is his best teacher and whatever he gets to learn he loves to share it on his Youtube channel and blog.