If you spend a lot of time doing things with your hands, like using a computer or smartphone, knitting, or cycling, you will love today’s exercise.
When you use your hands a lot, it’s important to balance the upper-body stress and tension you create with release work.
The forearms are one of the most overlooked areas for release and, when stretched properly, they are a big source of relief for your hands and wrists.
In fact, almost everyone is shocked when they experience just how tight their forearms are as they first try this stretch.
I’ve also noticed that those who really need this stretch tend to avoid it because it's so uncomfortable at first.
But, when the forearms get tight, it can contribute to carpel tunnel syndrome, limited hand mobility and even shoulder and neck pain.
If you live in the modern world, it’s very likely you will really benefit from doing this stretch at least two to three times per week. If you have really tight forearms, you'll want to try it every day.
Try it out and see if you notice a change!
Remember, no question is too small…
See you on the blog,
Sydney
2 Responses
Hi Sydney
These two exercises are excellent, aren’t they? For the back of hand down exercise there’s another awesome positioning cue to add which is to swing the elbows so that the inside (where you’d get a needle jab) is pointing to your front (away from the body); this winds up all the forearm muscles. One additional note is that they are also strengthening for the wrists because there is load on the wrists while they are also under stretch. Wrists and forearms are one part of the body where we find that people are both weak and tight, so these exercises address both aspects.
Cheers
Olivia
Fantastic feedback Olivia! Thanks very much!