I do a lot of lifting in my job and have decided I want to join the Air Force. Started doing push ups in preparation for boot camp and came to the realization I could barely bend my wrists without excruciating pain. Looked at a lot of wrists stretching videos on TH-cam and finally found yours through a Reddit post. You’re the first one to actually make a difference strengthening my wrists. Thank you so much!
I have inflamed tendons and tennis elbow from my previous job. I now work on the computer all day and these stretches have brought great relief. Added bonus is my fingers nimble on the keyboard. Thanks Mr. Kit
I injured my right wrist while lifting weights about 6 months ago. A hand Orthopedic said it was tendonitis (no fractures in XRAY), and he gave me a cortisone shot in my wrist. Unfortunately it hasn't helped. I started sleeping with wrist splints (I work on a computer), I ice my wrist daily, and I use a compression brace daily. Nothing has helped. I've had to tape my wrists in order to lift weights. I'm nervous that I'm causing harm in doing this. I started your routine yesterday and I already feel somewhat better. I didn't have any wrist pain after my session at the gym today. I just completed a second day of your routine. I plan on doing this routine every day. Thank you for posting.
Eric, please do not do this strongly every day; best to limber (take fingers, etc. through a full range of movement gently and slowly, but with no contractions) and do two strong workouts a week-so alternate light and heavy. The temptation is always to do more of something in the beginning, but all tissues need time to recover. Healing takes place while we are resting (so, stimulation, then adaptation). Thanks for commenting.
Thank you sir! All your videos are brilliant. My guitar practice became enjoyable and virtually painless. 1-2 months ago I could only play comfortably for a half an hour or so. Since I've started doing this daily, sometimes twice, I've sat with my instrument 4 or more hours at a time. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us on how to take care of the body in a post industrial culture where we are moving much less than our predecessors. THANK YOU KIT LAUGHLIN! STAY LIMBER!
Liv and I are SO pleased to hear this kind of remark. And we both use these exercises regularly-because like most of us, we spend too much time on the computer!
Im going to try these stretches as since back to work after a while off my left wrist and thumb feel staved and need to get a good stretch to use. Also my right forarm and 2nd and third finger tendons are crunching in forearm below the elbow. Thanks in Advance.
amazing stuff , work in the trades , hands and forearms have been really messed up for a year now . just tried these stretches for the first time . instant relief thankyou
HOLY COW!!! My right pinky has been semi numb on the whole side of it. Did these moves, and now I barely have the numbness anymore!!!! After just one time doing it!!! You sir are AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Numbness suggests the possibility of nerve entrapment; go easily on these exercises in the beginning. Once the numbness goes, you can ramp up the intensity a little. These exercises are also strengthening, too, and getting stronger allows you to use more intensity, in time,
Kit Laughlin I will. I just wanted to ask, after breaking my wrist I feel pain in it but only when I do push-ups, will these exercises help overcome that or should I switch to knuckle variation? And how many times a week should I do them?
@@mi8los These exercises are very likely to help, and in time, try to do knee pushups from the *back* of your wrists, too. Any men's gymnastics strength training site will show you how to do these.
I do similar exercises because I have been rehabiliating my whole left arm, after I hurt it in several parts up to my shoulder. It became so weak many years ago , that it had probably less than 40% strength at best of times, maybe 5% during a severe pain episode. Now after years of many types of exercises , power bands, isometrics,and dumbells/kettleweights, I am doing exercises stretching my fingers very similar to yours , but while I am sitting up on my bed watching videos or during breaks at my computer. However unlike yours I maintain tension at all times while I am stretching the hand ,and will press back forcefully with my fingertips after and before I stretch them, in order to maintain full mind to body awareness,and to make sure I am also strengthening them not just strectching them. That is just as importan as far as Im concerned. I am simply amazed by how far I have come, since years ago,I could barely move my hand ,apart from a few fingers ,and their range of motion /strength wasnt close to how good it is now. I feel not only have I surpassed their functioning pre injuries , but I probably have more connection to my hands ,and strength in my fingers than most people do.
We also recommend (and do) strengthening ourselves. The Contract-Relax method we use in all stretching is explicitly strengthening, as well, at the end of the range of movement-did you see that part?
There is a collection of the exercises we recommend for racquet sports in the back of the book Stretching & Flexibility. A pdf of it is available from our site; URL above in the description.
Kit Laughlin the only thing i would add to this is length of hold of each stretch. Because lengthening and maintaining are different. But very informative. Thank you
@Kit Laughlin Yes! Please clarify on the holding times! I actually started watching this for some handstand prep and when you got to the fingers I was so excited as it could help my Dupuytren's! Then you mentioned it haha. Thanks!
@@balisong46 I recommend simply using the audio once you know what it refers to, movement and position-wise, and hit Pause when you want to stay longer in a position.
@@buddharmt This is just the 'how-to', Jay. Hold each position as long as you need. Usually, 10-15" is enough, but people's responses vary hugely, so once you have memorised the sequence, hold the end positions for as long as you want. Thanks for commenting.
A pleasure. We will have more coming; in this era of FB and YT, we spend too much time on the computer or phone, and the hands, wrists, and forearms suffer...
These exercises (there are many more) should be taught to all therapists by their schools, simply from a duty of care perspective. Most therapists are already out of the business within five years for this reason alone.
Should these exercises be painful to do? I've been struggling with wrist pain whenever I load my hands and although these exercises provide some relief they are quite painful!
Not that they "should" be painful, but if you have neglected this complex area of the body, then when you do start, these are likely to be uncomfortable to do. It is not necessary to suffer greatly though in this process - if you do the exercises gently a few times over a period of a week or two, you will find the feelings that you experience in the beginning will change completely. And wrists do take a while to get rehabilitated.
Hi Kit Laughlin love these stretches they are great, i was wondering though do you think the same sort of stretches would work for your feet/ankles/toes? I'm thinking more of the stretch and hold of the toes? Have you ever tried this sort of thing? Cheers Phil
There can be a small effect. If you have chronic tension in your hands, which many men do, then fully straightening and relaxing the fingers and palm is difficult - if this is you, then when that tension dissipate, the net effect will be that your fingers will be a little bit longer. You could make a print of your palm, before and after stretching, and see if there is any difference you can measure.
See th-cam.com/video/l8ko2hjOo_4/w-d-xo.html Gabriel, start with these, very gently, doing only the first part for at least a week (every second or third day). Then add part two. TOCS (look this up) is a major cause of both these problems. If doing these help, then add this one (the hand and wrist sequence). Look up TOCS and TOS, too, to understand the possible causal mechanisms.
Hi Kit..Great Video....how long should it take for me to bend my wrist backwards after doing these exercises? At present with palm down flat on table I can only raise my wrist about 7- 10 angle when you can do 45 angle if you know what I mean?
Yes, but it all depends on how far it has progressed. My father had it severely, but I have kept my hands supple, relatively, and so far, so good. How far has yours progressed?
It’s in very early stages. Have tried some acupuncture which I responded to quite well. I’m feeling quite tight in the base of my palm though which kinda stretches across the left hand corner bottom (of my right hand).
@@HittingZero Stretch everything you can: D's contracture is a shortening of the fascia and, AFAIK, the only think that can slow, or prevent, that is three-dimensional movement of all the involved fascia. To stretch fascia maximally, try to involve at least two joints in the movements you use. The LH corner or your palm means you must involve the wrist and hand in extension movements as much as you can.
@@HittingZero Please do let us know how you go. Ring and little fingers most important to make as supple as you can. Hot water soak first (just a few minutes) can help, too.
Until you can let the tissues involved relax. For fingers and toes, often this is just 10-30"; for larger muscles, it will be longer. The best way to determine this is learning how to really *feel* the parts of your body as you stretch-and in time, you'll feel when they are done.
Greetings Kit Laughlin. Excellent Video. I have a question for anyone who can help me find a video similar to this technique by another user. This user placed his hand on a table and lifted each finger individually in order to work the different blood vessels leading up his entire arm. This user also spoke about our blood become sticky inside the vessels and he stated the exercise aforementioned helped to loosen those vessels. Any help is appreciated. Regards, Larry
I do not know this particular user, but it sounds as if you already know what to do. Doing what you write will also alert you to which particular tendons/muscles need attention, too, so just add that detail to the movements above.
I will add that wonderful description to the title today! I would have added "Thanks Jay" to the title itself, but we are limited to 100 characters, so I will say it here: Thanks Jay!
For carpel tunnel syndrome, assuming not too advanced, go here: th-cam.com/video/l8ko2hjOo_4/w-d-xo.html Do these to or three times a week, for two weeks, then try the exercises in this video. re. Carpel Tunnel syndrome: look up TOCS or TOS to understand the mechanisms.
I injured my wrists 2 years ago by suddenly doing too many pushups plus I was resting on my wrist and not my fingers. 6:00 When streaching like this I feel it so much I would call it painfull, but I only feel it at the base finger joint and from the wrist and a few inches up my inner arm, but not sure if I feel it up to my inner elbow. Of corse the feeling could be hard to spot cause my wrist is blocking it out with an extreme feeling.
Take your time: it will good eventually. Be aware that you can only feel a strong sensation from one part of the body at a time, so usually you are stretching way more parts than you can feel. Be gentle and do not rush this process.
No, assuming you can straighten your fingers, these exercise will not lengthen your fingers. But, and this is a big "but", if you do them, you will have much more mobility in your fingers, thumb, and hand. When I spread my fingers, for example, my thumb and little finger make a straight line on both hands-that' a full octave on the piano. My hands are medium sized.
Hi there mate ,i have a doubt this exercises for the wrist or for the feet ,the other video you have as well ,is it necessary to do a warm up first ? Thank you
No; just go gently and feel what's happening in this moment, and make it more intense when you can, without hurting yourself. Just try it all; your body will not allow itself to be hurt, as long as you are paying attention to what it's telling you as you work with it.
Go more gently to let the body get used to the position. It's probably something being compressed. In time, all the other movements will move whatever it is that's sticking, and it will feel more comfortable.
@@foobar99 I've been stretching twice every day, these exercises and a few other ones due to how much I need to use my hands/forearms. I have a greater range of movement and the pain is less sharp-still the slightest hint of soreness in that area but not nearly as bad. I really focus on trying to massage my thumb while in that position and stretch it well afterwards
My wrist hurts from boxing, ive had this pain for more then a year now. Ill come back here and let everybody know how it goes after a month of doing this.
From my own experience in boxing, the most important of the exercise is to get deeply into is the one that flexes the wrist - in other words where the back of your hand is on the floor. Take your time, and you'll get there. Please do report back.
@@2LightaManonFire yea its still there turns out after seeing 6 doctors the 6th one said i have a neck muscle deformity from birth and my hands will only hurt more
Hi Kit, great video so many thanks for posting. I have a question for you though. I'm a 53 year old male who is learning to play the classical guitar. But I'm finding that my fingers are not very stretchy at all, especially between the 3rd and fourth (little) fingers. In fact my children who have smaller hands than me can stretch further on the guitar fret-board than I can. Are there any exercises you could recommend to improve this or would the exercises in this video be the ones to do? Many Thanks Brian
Brian James I believe I can answer that question for you, it is very common for that especially as a beginner guitarist at your age to have tight lumbricals (can google it) this is generally caused by tight flexors and weak and long extensors of the forearm once these get looser you will have more reach, also check your sleeping position and make sure your wrist position for each wrist is neutral, your kids can get away from being in bad position for some time but you cant, to answer your question I believe this video will help a great deal but I believe their is a video on lumbricals on youtube that will help
Planche leans will not cause carpel tunnel syndrome; if you do have it, the causes are much deeper in your system. Google TOCS and TOS; and search on my channel for "scalenes". What you are most likely experiencing is a mild strain from not having conditioned your wrists for this strong exercise.
Kit Laughlin I have one more question though, I ussually get that nerver sensation in my tumb when doing planche leans. Then the next day i feel it a little bit. But after a few days the feeling disapears. But it always comes back when i start training planche leans again. What exactly could the problem be if its not carpal tunnel? and are there any exercises to prevent this?
Yes: all the flexion exercises, actually. Softening the soft tissues on that outer part of the wrist is the key; when you do planche leans, that area is massively compressed, and if these tissues can't get out of the way, pain is the result.
Hey Dr Laughlin, As someone who has developed chronic wrist pain on my left keyboard hand, would doing these stretches daily help resolve this issue? I did these exercises twice today and my wrist feels a bit better. Not sure if it's a strengthening or stretching issue. Thanks :)
It's just plain old "Kit"-I did not finish the PhD studies, so not "Dr!". The short answer is: very likely. I suggest *not* doing them daily, as long as that chronic pain is there: do a couple of times a week to allow complete recovery. Once the problem goes away, then you can do them more often. The contractions we use in all the stretches we show here will, in time, be strong strengthening movements, too. In the beginning, in your case because you have chronic wrist pain, we need to be more gentle with the stretches and the contractions. Once the pain has gone away, you can increase the strength of the contractions bit by bit until you are exerting as much force as you can-by that time, your wrists and fingers (whole hands, in fact) will be very strong. Please try this and report back.
Very late for this video, but I just wondering for the first exercise where you curl your fingers in, is it problematic if i can't curl the fingers on one of my arms? I try and try and can curl them in, but it takes an abnormally long time to contract the forearm so they curl in! Sorry if my explanation is bad, I'm just very curious! Thanks for the great video btw!
+Satsavya Mertens Well, why don't you add a link, or something helpful? And we always say, "go gently, and feel what the response is in the body." I know Milton Trager's work well; his approach is consistent with ours, I believe: they complement each other.
Hahahaha! It won't be anywhere near as intense, the next time, and the time after that. I suffered plenty working out how to do all this by self, I can tell you!
Well done. But it would be a wonderful action to advice on "plz do not on hands illnesses, if there is given an barrier of weights/strength or behind surgeries without any special advice". If you d this on Kienbock's disease, be sure, the patient isn t really happy about those excercises and more over it can be a risk of further problems...
If I described all the hand-arm problems that were contra-indicated, the video would be three times as long, and not helpful to the majority who do not have these problems. We treat people as adults: we say, "go gently and do not force anything, etc." IMHO, this is the best advice. This is TH-cam, after all. We do have a practitioner stream, and that content can be found on Vimeo, our inexpensive pay download channel.
I came here looking for Piano stretches, and it was great to hear you mention the palm spread stretch was good for piano players. One question about that stretch though - what muscles in the forearms are affected by that stretch? Or is it mostly in the wrist? Because I sometimes feel a lot of tightness in my forearms when I try to spread my fingers out.
the hands themselves, in terms of ligaments, tendons and fascia; the wrists, and the forearms are all involved in the stretches; we start with individual fingers then lengthen the worked lines by including the wrists and forearms.
You are wonderful. I found you through reddit's r/flexibility and wanting to learn how to touch my toes. You're so calming and a great teacher. Hopefully I'll be able to attend a workshop one day
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I do a lot of lifting in my job and have decided I want to join the Air Force. Started doing push ups in preparation for boot camp and came to the realization I could barely bend my wrists without excruciating pain. Looked at a lot of wrists stretching videos on TH-cam and finally found yours through a Reddit post. You’re the first one to actually make a difference strengthening my wrists. Thank you so much!
Do you see improvement in wrist flexibility?
I have inflamed tendons and tennis elbow from my previous job. I now work on the computer all day and these stretches have brought great relief. Added bonus is my fingers nimble on the keyboard. Thanks Mr. Kit
I injured my right wrist while lifting weights about 6 months ago. A hand Orthopedic said it was tendonitis (no fractures in XRAY), and he gave me a cortisone shot in my wrist. Unfortunately it hasn't helped. I started sleeping with wrist splints (I work on a computer), I ice my wrist daily, and I use a compression brace daily. Nothing has helped. I've had to tape my wrists in order to lift weights. I'm nervous that I'm causing harm in doing this.
I started your routine yesterday and I already feel somewhat better. I didn't have any wrist pain after my session at the gym today. I just completed a second day of your routine. I plan on doing this routine every day. Thank you for posting.
Eric, please do not do this strongly every day; best to limber (take fingers, etc. through a full range of movement gently and slowly, but with no contractions) and do two strong workouts a week-so alternate light and heavy. The temptation is always to do more of something in the beginning, but all tissues need time to recover. Healing takes place while we are resting (so, stimulation, then adaptation). Thanks for commenting.
Thank you sir! All your videos are brilliant. My guitar practice became enjoyable and virtually painless. 1-2 months ago I could only play comfortably for a half an hour or so. Since I've started doing this daily, sometimes twice, I've sat with my instrument 4 or more hours at a time. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us on how to take care of the body in a post industrial culture where we are moving much less than our predecessors. THANK YOU KIT LAUGHLIN! STAY LIMBER!
Liv and I are SO pleased to hear this kind of remark. And we both use these exercises regularly-because like most of us, we spend too much time on the computer!
Put it on 0.75x speed for longer stretch
Nice!
Worked for me.
Im going to try these stretches as since back to work after a while off my left wrist and thumb feel staved and need to get a good stretch to use. Also my right forarm and 2nd and third finger tendons are crunching in forearm below the elbow. Thanks in Advance.
amazing stuff , work in the trades , hands and forearms have been really messed up for a year now . just tried these stretches for the first time . instant relief thankyou
I'm a drummer and you have a great series of stretched here...thank you for posting!
Thank you for commenting; we really appreciate this.
I am a heavy computer user and have been suffering a litte as of late, thanks so much for this, I am putting it into use immediately
HOLY COW!!! My right pinky has been semi numb on the whole side of it. Did these moves, and now I barely have the numbness anymore!!!! After just one time doing it!!! You sir are AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Numbness suggests the possibility of nerve entrapment; go easily on these exercises in the beginning. Once the numbness goes, you can ramp up the intensity a little. These exercises are also strengthening, too, and getting stronger allows you to use more intensity, in time,
@@KitLaughlin thank you so much sir! You are an angel 🙂
Just found you randomly and wanted to thank you for this vid. You freed my hands!
:)
It helped me, but it did hurt a little while working on it. Thank you!
Feels amazing
We all need to do this occasionally.
Amazing video. Every second is useful. Thank you very much.
Glad you liked it; please share.
Kit Laughlin I will. I just wanted to ask, after breaking my wrist I feel pain in it but only when I do push-ups, will these exercises help overcome that or should I switch to knuckle variation? And how many times a week should I do them?
@@mi8los These exercises are very likely to help, and in time, try to do knee pushups from the *back* of your wrists, too. Any men's gymnastics strength training site will show you how to do these.
Oh wow, this feels like magic after a Chopin etude. Thank you so much :)
I do similar exercises because I have been rehabiliating my whole left arm, after I hurt it in several parts up to my shoulder. It became so weak many years ago , that it had probably less than 40% strength at best of times, maybe 5% during a severe pain episode. Now after years of many types of exercises , power bands, isometrics,and dumbells/kettleweights, I am doing exercises stretching my fingers very similar to yours , but while I am sitting up on my bed watching videos or during breaks at my computer. However unlike yours I maintain tension at all times while I am stretching the hand ,and will press back forcefully with my fingertips after and before I stretch them, in order to maintain full mind to body awareness,and to make sure I am also strengthening them not just strectching them. That is just as importan as far as Im concerned. I am simply amazed by how far I have come, since years ago,I could barely move my hand ,apart from a few fingers ,and their range of motion /strength wasnt close to how good it is now. I feel not only have I surpassed their functioning pre injuries , but I probably have more connection to my hands ,and strength in my fingers than most people do.
We also recommend (and do) strengthening ourselves. The Contract-Relax method we use in all stretching is explicitly strengthening, as well, at the end of the range of movement-did you see that part?
i got wrist tendinitis from using the keyboard too much. i was nine-teen. if only i'd known about this sooner. thankyou so much for this video.
Just looking at the video makes my wrists hurt! I'll definitely try it and take as much time as it needs, thanks!!!
It's all about getting started. Go gently, pay attention to what your body is telling you, and you'll be fine.
I like how you get right to the point.
How we do things! This was an excerpt from a public workshop, filmed live. Cheers, KL
Trying so hard. My hands are so inflexible and tight. Thank you for this.
Don't try *too* hard; softening the body takes time. Twice a week is a good place to start, and soaking your hands in hot water first will help too.
Wow, I've been doing a lot of typing and have needed this badly! Thank you so much.
Kit Laughlin you're awesome ! i did have a wrist pain, with you've video i removed the pain.Thanks for everything you do .Keep up .
P.S
Greetings from Romania!
I love this. I do play piano, and my fingers were very fluid afterwords.
thank you so much. I desperately needed this
I use this for playing the drums professionally, makes a big difference
Excellent. "Real world testing": I love it.
Amazing I'm a painter and my hands are always tense from work this help so much thank you very much for the video
Thank you for an excellent and clear video.
I suspect it's going to be very helpful to me.
Please let us know, in time.
From a massage therapist, ty so much
This should be taught in all massage schools, don't you think?
@@KitLaughlin 100%, the importance of this isnt stressed enough
@@Hybrid_Therapy I agree, and it was the same in my day (that's a LONG time ago! Hahahaha!)
this has been great for me thanks
these strechings are so great! i hope after a few weeks these help me to build up more hand-speed on the drums...
Excellent.
I use them for tennis, they work like a charm... wonder if you have a specific routine for tennis players
There is a collection of the exercises we recommend for racquet sports in the back of the book Stretching & Flexibility. A pdf of it is available from our site; URL above in the description.
@@KitLaughlin downloading it right now, thanks for responding
A pleasure, and thank you.
Kit Laughlin the only thing i would add to this is length of hold of each stretch. Because lengthening and maintaining are different. But very informative. Thank you
@Kit Laughlin Yes! Please clarify on the holding times! I actually started watching this for some handstand prep and when you got to the fingers I was so excited as it could help my Dupuytren's! Then you mentioned it haha. Thanks!
@@balisong46 I recommend simply using the audio once you know what it refers to, movement and position-wise, and hit Pause when you want to stay longer in a position.
@@buddharmt This is just the 'how-to', Jay. Hold each position as long as you need. Usually, 10-15" is enough, but people's responses vary hugely, so once you have memorised the sequence, hold the end positions for as long as you want. Thanks for commenting.
Following this fixed a nagging issue that's kept me off my hands for weeks. Thank you so much.
A pleasure. We will have more coming; in this era of FB and YT, we spend too much time on the computer or phone, and the hands, wrists, and forearms suffer...
Found exercises to be very helpful after recovering from ulner nerv surgery at the wrist.
Thanks for adding that comment: appreciated.
thanks
Thank you Kit for your awesome videos! As a massage therapist, these hand exercises have helped me immensely.
These exercises (there are many more) should be taught to all therapists by their schools, simply from a duty of care perspective. Most therapists are already out of the business within five years for this reason alone.
Those stretches were so good I feel my little fingers over yonder somewhere!
Beautiful
thank you so much for this incredibly helpful video. first time I've been introduced to these effective exercises!
I love this stretching !!
You are most welcome!
Feels good thanks
so going to try this!
Should these exercises be painful to do? I've been struggling with wrist pain whenever I load my hands and although these exercises provide some relief they are quite painful!
Not that they "should" be painful, but if you have neglected this complex area of the body, then when you do start, these are likely to be uncomfortable to do. It is not necessary to suffer greatly though in this process - if you do the exercises gently a few times over a period of a week or two, you will find the feelings that you experience in the beginning will change completely. And wrists do take a while to get rehabilitated.
Hi Kit Laughlin love these stretches they are great, i was wondering though do you think the same sort of stretches would work for your feet/ankles/toes? I'm thinking more of the stretch and hold of the toes? Have you ever tried this sort of thing? Cheers Phil
+Phil Windsor Yes, we have a foot and ankle sequence too; search here.
thanks!
wonderful this is what i need
Iam also stroke patient ist May 2023 icey bleed in my brain which exercise is better for me plz suggest me iam from Pakistan Karachi
Check that questions with your doctor first, please. I can't offer advice on this because I do not know enough about your condition.
Good.
Brilliant, thank you for this.
amazing
Does it have to do with finger lengthening as well?
There can be a small effect. If you have chronic tension in your hands, which many men do, then fully straightening and relaxing the fingers and palm is difficult - if this is you, then when that tension dissipate, the net effect will be that your fingers will be a little bit longer. You could make a print of your palm, before and after stretching, and see if there is any difference you can measure.
@@KitLaughlin Thanks for your precious help.
Hi Kit, is this recommended for tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome?
See th-cam.com/video/l8ko2hjOo_4/w-d-xo.html
Gabriel, start with these, very gently, doing only the first part for at least a week (every second or third day). Then add part two. TOCS (look this up) is a major cause of both these problems. If doing these help, then add this one (the hand and wrist sequence). Look up TOCS and TOS, too, to understand the possible causal mechanisms.
Thank you, you are the best!
@@gm5542: please do report back, Gabriel; feedback on how the system is working is gold for us.
Hi Kit..Great Video....how long should it take for me to bend my wrist backwards after doing these exercises? At present with palm down flat on table I can only raise my wrist about 7- 10 angle when you can do 45 angle if you know what I mean?
+Sandra Mc It will take as long as it takes; just keep doing these exercises from time to time, and progress is certain.
Hey kit,
Any good stretches for dupuytrens?
Yes, but it all depends on how far it has progressed. My father had it severely, but I have kept my hands supple, relatively, and so far, so good. How far has yours progressed?
It’s in very early stages. Have tried some acupuncture which I responded to quite well. I’m feeling quite tight in the base of my palm though which kinda stretches across the left hand corner bottom (of my right hand).
@@HittingZero Stretch everything you can: D's contracture is a shortening of the fascia and, AFAIK, the only think that can slow, or prevent, that is three-dimensional movement of all the involved fascia. To stretch fascia maximally, try to involve at least two joints in the movements you use. The LH corner or your palm means you must involve the wrist and hand in extension movements as much as you can.
Kit Laughlin thanks so much Kit, I knew you’d be the person to ask! xx
@@HittingZero Please do let us know how you go. Ring and little fingers most important to make as supple as you can. Hot water soak first (just a few minutes) can help, too.
How long should I hold the stretches?
Until you can let the tissues involved relax. For fingers and toes, often this is just 10-30"; for larger muscles, it will be longer. The best way to determine this is learning how to really *feel* the parts of your body as you stretch-and in time, you'll feel when they are done.
Is it "APPLICABLE" exercise too for STROKE PATIENTS?
Yes, with the standard cautions: go even more gently than I recommend, and make sure the patient is in control of the forces being experienced.
Greetings Kit Laughlin. Excellent Video. I have a question for anyone who can help me find a video similar to this technique by another user. This user placed his hand on a table and lifted each finger individually in order to work the different blood vessels leading up his entire arm. This user also spoke about our blood become sticky inside the vessels and he stated the exercise aforementioned helped to loosen those vessels. Any help is appreciated.
Regards,
Larry
I do not know this particular user, but it sounds as if you already know what to do. Doing what you write will also alert you to which particular tendons/muscles need attention, too, so just add that detail to the movements above.
Vuvuvuhuuuuuuuh
You Should call this HAND AWAKENING!
I will add that wonderful description to the title today! I would have added "Thanks Jay" to the title itself, but we are limited to 100 characters, so I will say it here: Thanks Jay!
Thank you ! This is an excellent video! My fingers feel amazingly wiggly wiggle wiggly now :D
IS THIS GOOD FOR CARPEL TUNNEL?
For carpel tunnel syndrome, assuming not too advanced, go here: th-cam.com/video/l8ko2hjOo_4/w-d-xo.html
Do these to or three times a week, for two weeks, then try the exercises in this video. re. Carpel Tunnel syndrome: look up TOCS or TOS to understand the mechanisms.
@@KitLaughlin THANKU!
@@KitLaughlin Sorry i forgot to include thumb and wrist on thumb side is it the same exercises?..thanku
@@antonellamicheli1082 Yes.
@@KitLaughlin thanku
I injured my wrists 2 years ago by suddenly doing too many pushups plus I was resting on my wrist and not my fingers.
6:00 When streaching like this I feel it so much I would call it painfull, but I only feel it at the base finger joint and from the wrist and a few inches up my inner arm, but not sure if I feel it up to my inner elbow. Of corse the feeling could be hard to spot cause my wrist is blocking it out with an extreme feeling.
Take your time: it will good eventually. Be aware that you can only feel a strong sensation from one part of the body at a time, so usually you are stretching way more parts than you can feel. Be gentle and do not rush this process.
Will this make your fingers any slimmer
I have to ask: why would you want slimmer fingers?
Does these stretches lengthen my fingers because my fingers are too. Short
No, assuming you can straighten your fingers, these exercise will not lengthen your fingers. But, and this is a big "but", if you do them, you will have much more mobility in your fingers, thumb, and hand. When I spread my fingers, for example, my thumb and little finger make a straight line on both hands-that' a full octave on the piano. My hands are medium sized.
Hi there mate ,i have a doubt this exercises for the wrist or for the feet ,the other video you have as well ,is it necessary to do a warm up first ? Thank you
No; just go gently and feel what's happening in this moment, and make it more intense when you can, without hurting yourself. Just try it all; your body will not allow itself to be hurt, as long as you are paying attention to what it's telling you as you work with it.
Not necessary to warm up; very necessary to go gently and see how the hands are feeling.
When I do 0:15 I get this sharp pain in the back of my thumb area, any ideas on how to remedy that?
Go more gently to let the body get used to the position. It's probably something being compressed. In time, all the other movements will move whatever it is that's sticking, and it will feel more comfortable.
@@KitLaughlin Thank you, I'll go more gentle with it.
@@petrichorpse Do let us know how you go-this helps all the silent users! Thanks for posting.
How did it go?
@@foobar99 I've been stretching twice every day, these exercises and a few other ones due to how much I need to use my hands/forearms. I have a greater range of movement and the pain is less sharp-still the slightest hint of soreness in that area but not nearly as bad. I really focus on trying to massage my thumb while in that position and stretch it well afterwards
My wrist hurts from boxing, ive had this pain for more then a year now. Ill come back here and let everybody know how it goes after a month of doing this.
From my own experience in boxing, the most important of the exercise is to get deeply into is the one that flexes the wrist - in other words where the back of your hand is on the floor. Take your time, and you'll get there. Please do report back.
And?
@@2LightaManonFire yea its still there turns out after seeing 6 doctors the 6th one said i have a neck muscle deformity from birth and my hands will only hurt more
Hi Kit, great video so many thanks for posting. I have a question for you though. I'm a 53 year old male who is learning to play the classical guitar. But I'm finding that my fingers are not very stretchy at all, especially between the 3rd and fourth (little) fingers. In fact my children who have smaller hands than me can stretch further on the guitar fret-board than I can. Are there any exercises you could recommend to improve this or would the exercises in this video be the ones to do?
Many Thanks
Brian
Brian James I believe I can answer that question for you, it is very common for that especially as a beginner guitarist at your age to have tight lumbricals (can google it) this is generally caused by tight flexors and weak and long extensors of the forearm once these get looser you will have more reach, also check your sleeping position and make sure your wrist position for each wrist is neutral, your kids can get away from being in bad position for some time but you cant, to answer your question I believe this video will help a great deal but I believe their is a video on lumbricals on youtube that will help
Tyler Pohler Many thanks for your reply. I will check out the lumbricals video.
Is there any exercise for carpal tunnel syndrome i noticed that i got it when i trained planche leans
Planche leans will not cause carpel tunnel syndrome; if you do have it, the causes are much deeper in your system. Google TOCS and TOS; and search on my channel for "scalenes". What you are most likely experiencing is a mild strain from not having conditioned your wrists for this strong exercise.
Kit Laughlin Oh alright, thanks for the information! I will check those things out!
Kit Laughlin I have one more question though, I ussually get that nerver sensation in my tumb when doing planche leans. Then the next day i feel it a little bit. But after a few days the feeling disapears. But it always comes back when i start training planche leans again. What exactly could the problem be if its not carpal tunnel? and are there any exercises to prevent this?
Yes: all the flexion exercises, actually. Softening the soft tissues on that outer part of the wrist is the key; when you do planche leans, that area is massively compressed, and if these tissues can't get out of the way, pain is the result.
Hey Dr Laughlin,
As someone who has developed chronic wrist pain on my left keyboard hand, would doing these stretches daily help resolve this issue? I did these exercises twice today and my wrist feels a bit better. Not sure if it's a strengthening or stretching issue. Thanks :)
It's just plain old "Kit"-I did not finish the PhD studies, so not "Dr!". The short answer is: very likely. I suggest *not* doing them daily, as long as that chronic pain is there: do a couple of times a week to allow complete recovery. Once the problem goes away, then you can do them more often. The contractions we use in all the stretches we show here will, in time, be strong strengthening movements, too. In the beginning, in your case because you have chronic wrist pain, we need to be more gentle with the stretches and the contractions. Once the pain has gone away, you can increase the strength of the contractions bit by bit until you are exerting as much force as you can-by that time, your wrists and fingers (whole hands, in fact) will be very strong. Please try this and report back.
Very late for this video, but I just wondering for the first exercise where you curl your fingers in, is it problematic if i can't curl the fingers on one of my arms? I try and try and can curl them in, but it takes an abnormally long time to contract the forearm so they curl in! Sorry if my explanation is bad, I'm just very curious! Thanks for the great video btw!
That is suggestive of a problem, perhaps. Can you video this in your hands and post, then send me the link so I can have a look?
And how would it be with half of the effort - Ever heard about Mentastics part of the Trager® Approach? designed by dr. Milton Trager.
+Satsavya Mertens Well, why don't you add a link, or something helpful? And we always say, "go gently, and feel what the response is in the body." I know Milton Trager's work well; his approach is consistent with ours, I believe: they complement each other.
this had me crying
Hahahaha! It won't be anywhere near as intense, the next time, and the time after that. I suffered plenty working out how to do all this by self, I can tell you!
Well done. But it would be a wonderful action to advice on "plz do not on hands illnesses, if there is given an barrier of weights/strength or behind surgeries without any special advice". If you d this on Kienbock's disease, be sure, the patient isn t really happy about those excercises and more over it can be a risk of further problems...
If I described all the hand-arm problems that were contra-indicated, the video would be three times as long, and not helpful to the majority who do not have these problems. We treat people as adults: we say, "go gently and do not force anything, etc." IMHO, this is the best advice. This is TH-cam, after all. We do have a practitioner stream, and that content can be found on Vimeo, our inexpensive pay download channel.
wow I been doing this for 2 days and I can bend them completely backwards
Slow is 'pro', though! Best not to rush things, but if the hands and fingers feel good, mp problem. Thanks for commenting!
I came here looking for Piano stretches, and it was great to hear you mention the palm spread stretch was good for piano players.
One question about that stretch though - what muscles in the forearms are affected by that stretch? Or is it mostly in the wrist? Because I sometimes feel a lot of tightness in my forearms when I try to spread my fingers out.
the hands themselves, in terms of ligaments, tendons and fascia; the wrists, and the forearms are all involved in the stretches; we start with individual fingers then lengthen the worked lines by including the wrists and forearms.
i'm using thise stretches for penspinning lol
You are wonderful. I found you through reddit's r/flexibility and wanting to learn how to touch my toes. You're so calming and a great teacher. Hopefully I'll be able to attend a workshop one day
You will be most welcome there.
How old are you?
67
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