At-Home Wrist and Hand Physical Therapy

Hand and wrist injuries happen and when they do it can really throw a wrench in your normal daily life. Things that you used to be able to do with ease are suddenly difficult and sometimes impossible to do without causing pain. Wrist and hand physical therapy, when utilized correctly, can be monumental in recovery. This includes both professional guidance and some self-motivated work on your end. 

Luckily, there are a few simple ‘do it yourself’ at-home remedies for wrist and hand injuries that you can do to help ease the pain and strengthen the area of your discomfort. 

Follow These Wrist and Hand Physical Therapy Techniques At Home:

​Ice and Heat

It’s important to use ice and heat on your injured area but it’s equally important to know which one to use and when. 

Ice should be used if your injured area is feeling swollen. You can use gel packs that go in the freezer or just toss some ice cubes in a bag and wrap a towel around it. The ice will help reduce the swelling and eventually provide you with better motion in your wrist and hand. 
However, if your area of injury is feeling stiff and achy, a heat treatment may be a better option. The heat can help increase blood flow and loosen joints to give you a better range of motion. You can use a bucket of warm water, heat up a damp towel in the microwave or use a heating pad to help the area of injury. 

Rest is Necessary 

Remember, rest is just as important as exercising your injured area. You are allowed to take a break especially if your hand or wrist is causing you pain. Unfortunately with injuries, you aren’t able to do everything you are used to doing so it’s important to slow down and take it easy for a little bit to ensure you have the quickest recovery. 
Don’t be afraid to ask for help with certain tasks that are difficult due to your injury. Trying to do it yourself could cause you more pain and potentially reinjure the area, thus taking it longer to heal. 

Hand And Wrist Exercises 

Here are two simple PT exercises you can do at home to help strengthen your injured area: 

Wrist extension 

1. Place a towel or pad on a table
2. Place wrist on pad with hand hanging over the table with your palm facing downward 
3. Rotate wrist up and down 10 times
4. You can repeat this exercise with your palm facing up as well 

 
Okay Finger 

1. Make the ‘OK’ sign with your hand
2. Lift pointer finger and place middle finger on thumb and continue to do the same with your other fingers, changing the finger on the thumb every few seconds 
3. Repeat 10 times 

Wrist And Hand Specialized Physical Therapy

While it’s great to do what you can to strengthen your injury at home, it’s important to talk with your physical therapist to determine what is best for your specific injury. Professionals will be able to help you know what you need to do in order to get back to feeling great.

At Strong Life Physical Therapy in Orem, UT, experts provide hands on physical therapy by using great tools to help speed up the recovery process such as dry needling, shock wave therapy, cold laser therapy and so much more than you are able to do at home.

At-home remedies are great to help strengthen an injured area, however, nothing will help you heal quicker than specialized physical therapy. 
It’s always advised to talk with your doctor before performing any exercise on an injured area, that’s why visiting your physical therapy doctor is so important. 

​Schedule an appointment with StrongLife today at our Orem, Utah office to start your path to recovery with wrist and hand therapy techniques. 
Schedule a Free Visit

About the Author

AJ Ludlow is a Doctor of Physical Therapy who works with patients to give them a stronger life – free of lingering pain and chronic issues without having to turn to medication. After spending years studying physical therapy and exercise science, AJ worked for the Spinal Manipulation Institute in Texas and mastered advanced manipulation and needling techniques. Moving his practice to Utah, he now evaluates and treats a variety of orthopedic and musculoskeletal complaints -- holistically.

​Being certified in dry needling, spinal manipulation, and a provider of ASTYM techniques, AJ continues to seek specialized training to best serve his patients. AJ holds a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Utah.