Spending the entire day just typing away on your computer can leave your hands feeling a little stiff. That’s because you practically spent hours locking your wrist joints in a very limited range of motion. This can lead to stiffness and even pain in your hand and wrists. This can often lead to developing carpal tunnel and other wrist-related conditions. If you want to avoid that from happening, you should be more wary about wrist flexion and maintaining a good range of motion for your hands and wrist. This guide should help you learn more about wrist flexion and the importance of exercise.
What is Wrist Flexion?
Wrist flexion is an anatomical term of motion. It’s the act of bending your hand down at the wrist so that your palm faces in toward your arm. When wrist flexion occurs, you’re basically reducing the angle between the palm of your hand and your forearm. Flexion is the opposite of extension, where your palm is facing upward. Both actions are considered part of the normal wrist range of motion.
When your wrist flexion is normal, that means that the muscles, bones, and tendons that make up your wrist are working as they should. If you don’t have normal wrist flexion or extension, you may have trouble with daily tasks involving wrist and hand use. If you flex or overextend your wrist, there’s also the risk of sustaining injuries.
What’s the Correct Measurement of Wrist Flexion?
Most hand specialists perform tests to see just how much flexion and extension your wrist can reach. With the use of a goniometer, they can measure just how many degrees of flexion your wrist has. Ideally, having a 75 to 90-degree flexion is considered normal.
Hand and Wrist Exercises for Better Flexion
There are a number of ways you can improve your wrist flexion and prevent the development of injuries and conditions. Here are some simple exercises prescribed by wrist doctors that you should do a couple of times a day:
- Flexor Tendon Glide – Extend your fingers out, then hook your fist, and go back to doing a straight hand. Next, do full fists, then return to doing a straight hand. Finally, Make a straight fist, then a straight hand. Repeat the entire motion.
- Ulnar Deviation and Radial Deviation – First, put your forearm on the table over a rolled towel. You can also do this by simply extending your arms forward. Next, move your hands to the left and to the right until you reach the full range of motion. Imagine waving your hand but at a slower pace.
- Flexor Stretch – Hold your arm in front of you with your palm facing up. Use your unaffected hand to gently pull your hand down towards the floor. You should be able to feel a stretch in the underside of your forearm. Hold this for a few seconds before releasing then repeating the whole exercise.
Conclusion
Taking good care of your hands and wrists should be a priority for every person. Losing your hand’s full range of motion can be quite limiting, so it’s best to do these exercises regularly, so your range of motion and flexion are always at an acceptable level.
North Florida Hand and Wrist Center is a state-of-the-art surgical facility designed to provide world-class hand and wrist care to every patient. If you’re in need of a hand and wrist doctor, our highly trained practitioners are always ready to help. Contact us today to book an appointment.
