Introduction to Hand Physiotherapy

How difficult life is for those that are unable to work with hands? It is impossible to think of life after an accident reducing one’s ability to carry out tasks and inability to look after self on one’s own. If we do take good care of our palms, we may never have to give up many activities and we may not feel secluded in life. But if one is a sports person and faces an injury on both palms and cannot use them, s/he may have to give up sports and public life completely.  

All individuals have a strong desire to remain self-reliant and manage all day to day activities without any help – e.g. opening a doorway, driving vehicle, or completing tasks such as meals. This writeup is intended to assist us to learn about and prevent hand injury.

Whether one is an athlete or prefers a more regular lifestyle, one must keep hands protected against debilitation and muscle atrophy and we would like to be certain to keep these healthy and safe.

Our hands, though small, need attention, care, and maintenance. Hand therapists assess and treat injuries and conditions related to all our upper extremity (shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand).

A certified therapist employs a vast assortment of hand physiotherapy exercises and techniques to assist trauma, chronic hand pain or lack of / reduced sensation patients. With therapy, patients experience relief from pain and may restore muscle power, recover nerve function, assist scars healing and do away with the need for operation.

Nominees for hand treatment include individuals who suffer from ailments, such as Arthritis, Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel (median nerve entrapment), tendonitis, or Cubital Tunnel (ulnar nerve entrapment). In case you’ve suffered a hand injury such as fractures, burns tendons, nerves, or amputations, you are also a suitable candidate for treatment. In serious cases when the hands get paralyzed one must get physiotherapy for right-hand paralysis or left-hand paralysis.

Therapy is practised in a few ways. It may be utilized to help patients following a medical procedure, for example, a traumatic accident or operation. Treatment is an excellent step before the operation and it becomes necessary for correcting issues. Treatment may help alleviate the symptoms of chronic pain conditions and ease faster recovery.

Mostly a hand therapist utilizes several techniques, such as exercises and custom fabrications to protect joints, reduce swelling and use techniques intended to strengthen muscles and restore range of motion.

Wrist exercises and these hand exercises can decrease pain.

The ideal hand mobility exercises might help get you back to active life, should you discover some hand tasks difficult to do as you suffer in hands.

Exercises are usually suggested by therapists based upon hand or wrist condition. Physiotherapy aids for hands by stretching the tendons and muscle or increase a joints range of movement. Muscles also strengthen around a joint to build endurance or to create energy.

Hand and Wrist exercises

The wrist joints move every time there is straightening or bend fingers and one might have difficulty doing things in cases where the thumb cannot bend without pain or in cases where movement is diminished.

These exercises strengthen the hand tendons and help them perform wrist and palm functions with ease. These exercises should be performed deliberately and gradually, to prevent injury. Should one feel pain or numbness during or after stopping, one must contact the physician.

Described below are just five hand exercises. One must hold each position for 5 -10 minutes and do 10 repetitions of each exercise at a time, thrice a day.

• Wrist extension and flexion
• • Place forearm on a table on a rolled-up towel for padding, with hand hanging off the edge of the table, palm down.
  • Move the hand upward until a gentle stretch is felt.
  • Return to the starting position.
  • Repeat the motions with the elbow bent at the side, palm facing up.

• Wrist supination / pronation
• • Stand or sit with the arm at the side with the elbow bent to 90 degrees, palm facing down.
  • Rotate forearm, so that the palm faces up and then down.

• Wrist ulnar / radial deviation
• • Support forearm on a table on a rolled-up towel for padding or on the knee, thumb upwards.
  • Move the wrist up and down through its full range of motion.

• Thumb flexion / extension
• • Begin with the thumb positioned outward.
  • Move the thumb across the palm and back to the starting position.

• Hand/finger tendon glide

• • Start with the fingers extended straight out.

• • Make a hook fist; return to a straight hand.

• • Make a full fist; return to a straight hand.

• • Make a straight fist; return to a straight hand