Finger extension exercises are quite important for those individuals who have had a prolonged course of recovery after a surgical procedure on the hand, after a fracture of the fingers, a trauma or injury to the fingers, or after a serious medical condition like a stroke which can make the fingers weak and stiff and the individual may find it difficult to use it.
Finger extension is the process of opening of the fingers and spreading it out wide which is quite difficult if you have sustained any injury, trauma, or stroke like conditions which makes your fingers weak and stiff. Finger extension exercises not only make the fingers strong but also prevent development of finger contractures and help in keeping the fingers straight. This article gives a brief overview of some Finger Extension Exercises.
5 Exercises For Finger Extension
It is always recommended to properly warm up the hand before you embark on Finger Extension Exercises as not doing so may result in more pain and stiffness and could cause more severe injury to the fingers. Below mentioned are some of Finger Extension Exercises.
#1. Sand Exercise for Finger Extension: This is quite an effective Finger Extension Exercise and helps in strengthening the fingers significantly. This exercise is also quite easy to do. All you need to do is fill a bucket full of fine sand. Now, insert your hand inside the bucket with all the fingers flexed in a fist like position right through the bottom. Now, try to open the fingers and spread them as far as possible. Maintain this position for about 10 seconds. Now do the same thing with the other hand. Do this five times for each hand at least two times a day. You need to ensure that the sand is not coarse as it may cause abrasions to the skin when performing this Finger Extension Exercise.
#2. Fingertip Touching Exercise For Finger Extension: This is also quite an effective and easy Finger Extension Exercise. You can start with the index finger first and bend it to touch the tip of the thumb. Now bend the middle finger and repeat the same thing. Do this for all the fingers at least 10 times. Switch hands and repeat the same process for the opposite hand. This needs to be done at least four to five times a day for best effectiveness in strengthening the fingers.
#3. Resistance Exercise For Finger Extension: This is also quite an effective Finger Extension Exercise. This exercise goes a long way in strengthening the fingers and makes the fingers supple. All you need to do is place a couple of rubber bands around all the fingers including the thumb. Using this rubber band as resistance, try to push the rubber band outwards as much as possible. If a couple of rubber bands do not provide enough resistance you can increase the number of rubber bands for added resistance. Do this about five times and then switch hands and repeat the process for the opposite hand.
#4. Tabletop Extension Exercise: This is another effective Finger Extension Exercise. You need to place the palm on a table top and spread the fingers as much as possible. Bring them back to the starting position and repeat the process about 10 more times. Switch hands and repeat the process.
#5. Tabletop Lifts: To do this finger extension exercise; just like the above exercise, you need to put the palm of the hand on a tabletop but in this case instead of spreading the fingers try and lift each finger up as much as possible or until a stretch is felt. Do this for all the fingers including the thumb. Make sure that while you are lifting a finger up the remaining fingers should be in constant touch with the tabletop. Repeat about 10 times and then switch the hands and repeat the process. This needs to be done at least three times a day for best results from finger extension exercise.