The Stretching Habit
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Hand and Wrist Stretches

The digital age is terrible for our poor hands and wrists. We spend hours a day on keyboards and phones. These stretches will help you fight back and avoid repetitive injuries!

Stretching Application

Stretching is for everyone. Not everyone is an athlete but everyone needs to stretch. The most important thing to understand is that athletes and people who just want to stretch to feel better need to stretch differently. Think of it this way, athletic stretching is just complex or advanced stretching and not everyone needs or can benefit from this type of stretching. Start with simple stretches and work your way towards the more complicated stretching. Just remember that we all need to stretch!

Health Focused Application

If you have a hectic schedule and need to reduce the stress and anxiety in your life, then you need to stretch the overworked muscles of your hands, wrists and forearms. These muscles are overused in the digital age and need to be stretched!

Athletic / Fitness Application

No matter what sport you do, your hands and wrists handle any explosive movement and many times carry the entire weight of your body. Does this even make sense that the smallest most delicate part of your body handles all of that pounding pressure?

Science and Medical Connection

The problem in our society today is that the digital age is exposing us to an overwhelming amount of problems from our necks down to our fingertips. So now it is more important than ever to start learning how important it is to stretch the overworked muscles of your hands, wrists and forearms.

Scientific Look at the Hands and Wrists

The hands and wrists are one of the most intricate regions of our bodies! As touch is one of our 5 sensory organs and we talk with our hands and type with our fingers and thumbs, the nerve pathways from your fingertips through the wrist need to be healthy and open for all of that sensory data to get to the brain and back freely and without pain.

Medical Perspective of the Wrist

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve. This is aggravated by the excessive repetitive motion of the muscles in the hands and the flexors and extensors of the forearms, as well as and the misalignment of the wrist (either laterally or horizontally, or both). Simple stretching and nerve gliding can alleviate the tension in the tight muscles and realign the nerve pathways easing pain.

Stretch Instructions

The Healthy Progression of a Stretch is the Same as the Medical Rehabilitation of a Muscle

Health Focused Application

There is a healthy progression for every muscle from beginner to advanced. Because we deal with stress everyday, stretching is most effective when you do them everyday. Below is a comprehensive list for the healthy progression of stretches. Start with the basic versions and work your way slowly to the advanced.

Athletic / Fitness Application

Overtraining and over stretching causes injuries more than the competition itself. When it comes to stretching, listen to what your muscles are telling you. If they are overworked or too tired, they will not be able to give you as much length as yesterday. Be in the moment, present and methodical as you go through the progressions below.

Simply rotating your head to look over your shoulders to either side to start. Keep your head upright and think of keeping your spine upright. Think of trying to have your chin pass right over your shoulders. This is the most basic movement of the neck performed by a muscle that is the most difficult to say.

This is a dynamic stretch that works all of the upper trapezius fibers that connect your shoulders to your head. Start with a head tilt to the left and slowly roll your chin down to you sternum and then tilt your right ear to your right shoulder as you come up across to a head tilt to the right. Go back and forth slowly several times until your neck feels better. Our videos really walk you through these better than pics and descriptions but see if that works for now. Head Rolls really target the levator scapula which is one of the most triggered muscles of the body. It’s so important we cover it on its own page here.

This muscle group is probably one of the least understood or known about muscles of the body but they are super important to your health and wellbeing.

One of the scalene’s functions is to lift the ribs and allow the lungs to fill more fully. The problem is that stress and anxiety trigger these muscles to shorten which creates noticeable tension consequently perpetuating ones anxiety. These tense muscles are a major contributing factor for the shallow quick breaths people experience when dealing with stress and anxiety.

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