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Wrist Injury Exercises.

You have been treated for fractures or a soft tissue wrist injury. You have been thoroughly examined and are now considered fit to be discharged. Th following will aid your recovery.

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Wrist Exercises

The following guidelines should help ease your recovery:

1) Please read carefully the instructions given to you by the doctor.

2) Keep your hand in the sling (only initially), raised towards the shoulder to help reduce the swelling. Remove regularly to exercise the shoulder and elbow to avoid these joints getting stiff.

3) Do not wear any rings on the hand at any time until fully recovered.

4) Apply ice to ease pain, swelling and bruising. Use frozen peas or crushed ice in a damp towel. Place around wrist for 7–10 minutes. Repeat 3–5 times a day, always with a 2 hour break between icings. Alternatively, place wrist in a bowl of cold water with crushed ice and keep wrist moving.

CAUTION: Ice can cause a burn. Protect sensitive skin with oil.

5) Take simple painkillers for the first few days, eg, paracetamol, if you feel you need help with the pain. Check with your pharmacist or doctor first.

6) Try and rest your wrist for the first 24 hours after the injury. However, exercise every hour for 10 minutes. If you hold your wrist stiff in an awkward position it will become more difficult to move it from that position, ie, it will stiffen up.

Try to ice it after exercising.

A good recovery depends on your co-operation.

CAUTION: If you notice excessive pain, swelling, tingling, blueness or inability to move your fingers, contact your GP or hospital doctor.

A few recommended exercises to be done for 10 minutes every hour initially.

Put putty on a table and push your fingertips deep into the putty or cloth keeping the forearm on the table.

Bend fingers into a fist pushing them deeper into the putty, then straighten your fingers.

Forearm supported on a table with your hand over the edge and palm facing down.

Let your hand drop down. Gently assist the movement with your other hand.

Rotate hand and wrist 3 times a day by turning elbows by your side and going palms up and then down.

Place affected hand on the table, put other hand on top of the affected hand and raise your elbow (90°) to make a ‘c’ shape.

Sit or stand. Forearms horizontally in front of you and palms together (yoga position).

Push palms together for 5 sec, relax.

Clasp your hands together and support your forearms on a table with your hands over the edge.

Bend your wrist up and down.

Clasp your hands together and support your forearms on a table.

Put the back of one hand on the table and then turn your hands and put the back of the other hand on the table.

With your thumb touch each fingertip.

You must push the wrist beyond the range of comfort to combat stiffness – ‘no pain no gain!’

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