Scott, is our  Remedial Massage Therapist at Errol Street Chiropractic Centre in North Melbourne. .In this video he goes through some tips that you can use to deal with hand and wrist issues by stretching the forearms.

There are two main groups of muscles in the forearms that are used in wrist hand movements, there are the flexor group and the extensor group of muscles. Tension in these muscles can cause pain and weakness in your wrist and hands. Scott will go through how to use a massage ball to roll out the forearms and then two easy stretches for these muscles.

The extensors sit at the back of the forearm. The flexors sit at the front of the forearm. These muscles move and co-ordinate the movements in our wrists.

  1. Roll out the extensor group of muscles: grab a towel and put it between your elbow and the side of your body. Place a ball up against the wall you roll along the extensor muscles from elbow to wrist. Find any tight spots and hold these ares until the tension eases. You may find more than one tight area.
  2. .Roll out the flexor group of muscles. Place a ball on a flat surface. Roll along the muscle from elbow to wrist, finding tight spots and moving the wrist through all planes of movement to increase tension.
  3. Flexor stretch. Bring one arm out in front of the body with the palm facing up. With the other hand, pull the fingers back gently, towards the body.  Feel a stretch in the flexor group.
  4. Extensor stretch. Bring one arm out in front of the body with the palm facing down. With the other hand pulling the fingers gently towards the body  A stretch is felt in the extensor group.

PLEASE NOTE: Hold stretches for 30 seconds in each side. As with all stretches these shouldn’t cause any pain, and if you’re feeling pain – stop stretching immediately. Consult your practitioner if this does occur.

Categories MASSAGE therapy, Remedial Massage, Stretches