Wrist and Hand Rehabilitation Exercises after Stroke

Ball Grip

Hold a ball in your palm and gently squeeze it slowly and firmly, then relax, then repeat. This helps improve your grip. This remains the most common and the easiest of all hand exercises.

Pen grip

Place a pen on a flat surface and hold gently at the middle for some seconds. Then grip, and slide the pen to a different part of the table and drop. Repeat 5 to 10 times over. It makes the hand to eye coordination stronger and helps with handwriting.

Finger hook

It is almost like the ball grip; however, it focuses a lot more on the fingers than the palm. Place the ball on the highest part of the palm and hook it with your fingers to hold the ball firmly down. The exercise utilizes the last 2 joints of the fingers, making it easier to lift and carry objects.

Important note: exercises will only be effective if done daily for at least 20 minutes, recommended during the course of 60 days.

Wrist stretch

This rehabilitation exercise works by stretching and bending the wrist. It works with the assistance of your other hand that is not affected or with the help of somebody else's hand. What you do is put your hand on the palm of your other hand and stretch it backwards and forward gently and slowly. For best results, make sure the hand is placed on palms and not fingers. It helps relax the palms and is an effective warmup/preparatory for exercise.

Palm Up, Palm Down

Place your palm on a flat surface and turn using your other hand for assistance. Gently turn your palm on its back, facing upward, then turn it facing downward. Repeat 5 to 10 times.

Important note: do not lose your motivation if you don’t see the progress right away, greatest results are sometimes achieved slowly but surely!

The Wrist curve

This exercise is totally different from the stretch movement method because it places the required pressure on the affected hand with less support from your other hand. Hold a ball in your affected hand along with your elbows to the table and gently curve it upwards as though you are flexing muscles while raising dumbbells. Use your unaffected hand as a support as you curve up, and relax slowly. This exercise helps strengthen your grip and movement in activities like getting dressed.

Ball Pinch

Place the elastic ball in between a finger and your thumb and gently press. Repeat the exercise for the other fingers in two sets each. This aids lifting and carrying of objects as well as picking and dropping.

Wrist Extend

Place a ball in your palm and gently lift your hand upward, placing pressure on the wrist. Then move it downward again, then move to a medial position where it is relaxed. It works like the wrist stretch but with no assistance from a second hand. Place the affected hand on a flat surface with the wrist extended outward, so the palm faces downward and upward like pronation and supination movements. An everyday application of this exercise is cooking or washing.

Finger Touch

The exercise involves touching each fingertip with your thumb, pinching just a little, releasing it, and then unto the next finger. You start with the index finger to the little one and back again. Aids better handwriting and holding of objects.

Hold and spin

For our final hand exercise, we have another pen exercise that utilizes your fingers, thumb, and wrist. Place a pen on a flat surface and hold gently with your thumb and fingers then, gently spin. Elbows should be on the table for better results, so your fingers and thumb are working instead of your shoulders. An application of this is picking up and replacing items at a grocery store.