Wrist flexors stretch

October 14th, 2009 by Matvey Kipershtein

Muscles that help you grip an object in your hand or flex your wrist are located on the inside of the forearm. Most of them are attached at the bone that is on the inner side of the elbow, very close to the “funny bone”. Because of this shared attachment it is very common to develop pain at this spot if your job or sport activity demands prolonged strenuous gripping. It happens a lot with golf players, hence the term “golfer’s elbow”, or with manual labourers who need to use a tool such as a screwdriver.

Very often this pain is diagnosed as tendonitis, and anti-inflammatory is prescribed to kill the pain. It is common that this pain is caused by the increased muscle tension of the wrist flexors that is not met by adequate strength at the attachment sight at the elbow. Taking the medicine will only mask the symptoms and from my experience will make the problem worse when the painkiller wears out. This happens because the person will not feel the pain which is the warning sign and will continue with the activity that further irritates the painful spot.

Apart from receiving professional advice and going for a therapy, there is a very simple stretch that a patient can do. I know it works, because a few months ago my father called me complaining of this type of pain and weakness of his grip after assembling a table. I emailed him the stretch instructions with pictures, and after a few days of stretching and icing he was pain free, and the strength of his grip came back.

So here’s the stretch

Wrist flexors stretch

Pull your wrist down very gently until you feel a mild resistance at your forearm. I know that you can probably go a few inches further, but stop here and breathe for a few moments. Feel your forearm relaxing till you can pull a little bit more without increasing the resistance.

Most people tend to overdo their stretches and pull really hard. This is a very common mistake. The muscle will recognize this pull as a threat, and will contract to protect itself. This is a reflex, the same thing happens when you get your knee tapped with a hammer at the doctor’s office and your leg jerks up. We can’t control it, and a contracting muscle can not be stretched. If you pull too hard, you will damage the painful spot even more.

So the best thing is to take it easy and allow your body to relax. Hold the stretch for at least a minute progressively pulling down more bit by bit and repeat it a few times a day

Tags: massage, muscle, Physical exercise, stretch, wellness
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