Exercise Videos
At Texas Hand Therapy, we provide customized home exercise programs for each patient based on their condition, stage of healing, and individual goals. These programs are intended to reinforce what is performed during therapy at the clinic. The home exercise programs are a key piece of success in hand therapy and require dedication and compliance.
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The provided exercise videos below are commonly used within the clinic and each exercise has its distinct value for increasing function and decreasing pain. Not every exercise is used for every condition, however, the videos are provided for extra education so that you can visualize how to perform each exercise. Do not perform these exercises unless your therapist has prescribed them to you.
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The purpose of tendon glides is to help improve the flow of the tendons in the hand to be able to reach its greatest amount of movement in order to effectively move the hand. Tendon glides can help reduce swelling and stiffness in the hand.
The CMC stabilization program is used to help build up and strengthen the muscles around the thumb so that you don't have to rely on your joints as much for activities that involve pinching and gripping and help reduce pain with these activities.
As stated in the video, wrist isometrics are used to help stabilize and strengthen the muscles around the wrist without moving the wrist joint. Using wrist isometrics can help reduce wrist pain while also strengthening the wrist.
Edema, also known as swelling, can often build up after an injury, trauma, or surgery and can cause pain and impede movement in the fingers, hand, wrist, etc. This video provides a technique often used for the fingers to reduce edema for decreased pain and increased movement using coban tape.
The four main motions of the wrist is flexion, extension, and ulnar and radial deviation. The purpose of completing these exercises is to improve the motion of the wrist in all four areas of movement to decrease stiffness and improve everyday function.
The purpose of thumb opposition is to improve thumb movement, hand dexterity, and hand coordination. Thumb opposition is also important for fine motor skills, such as writing, picking up objects, and manipulating items. This video shows you how to complete thumb opposition as well as an added component you can perform with these exercises to help further improve thumb movement.
The purpose of radial nerve glides is to help the radial nerve glide or stretch normally and help reduce pain and improve functionality.
This video presents the medium version of the nerve glide if the light version is too easy or does not provide a good stretch and if the hard version is causing too much pain and/or aggravating the nerve more.
The purpose of foam block pick-ups is to improve the movement of the hand and fingers as well as help improve strength in the hand.
Joint blocking is used to help stiff joints in the fingers. Joint blocking helps joints to reach their full movement, improve the gliding of the tendons in the fingers, and decrease stiffness.
Finger walks are used to improve the movement of the fingers and the hand while having them work together to scrunch and move the towel. With finger walks, you can use a towel, scar, t-shirt or anything with light resistance that you have at home to accomplish this exercise.
Wrist tenodesis is used to help improve the movement in the wrist and the hand for everyday function. When completing this exercise, you can hang your wrist off the side of a table, a pillow, your leg, or even the arm of a chair.
The purpose of composite flexion is to improve the ability to make a full fist as well as improve the ability for grasping objects. This video shows you two ways to perform this exercise.
The purpose of ulnar nerve glides is to help the ulnar nerve glide or stretch normally and help reduce pain and improve functionality.
The purpose of median nerve glides is to help the median nerve glide or stretch normally and help reduce pain and improve functionality. This video presents a lighter version of the nerve glide if the medium and hard versions are too much for you, as in causing too much pain and/or aggravating the nerve more.
This video presents the harder version of the nerve glide if the light and medium versions are too easy, as in does not provide a good stretch and/or relief from pain.