Community Magazine

Hand Rehabilitation Exercises for Seniors with Arthritis

By Dudepins @dudepins

One of the most critical keys to one's independence in life is having steady and functioning hands. It is just as accurate for younger individuals as it is for senior members, in fact, more for the later. In the US, many elderly members live alone, and thus they are required to do the daily life tasks to survive and live independently. The prehensile organ, which is the hand, helps in holding and grasping.

However, it is not until you experience some hand injury or weakness that you fully realize its value and impact in your life. It is utterly common to fall prey to hand injuries. After all, the use of hands is a daily affair and a necessity in everyone's life. Hand injuries, if not rectified by regular Hand Exercises for Rehabilitation , can lead to a lack of mobility which directly points out to the hindrances of performing the daily life functions.

Age can often bring in Osteoporosis which in simple terms is called arthritis . Being diagnosed with hand osteoarthritis can even make lifting the simplest of things unimaginably challenging. Thus, keeping the hands active through basic exercises is imperative for leading a healthy and quality life. Other than this, the decrease in hand mobility in seniors can also be resultant of Parkinson's disease.

Seniors and Hand strengthening exercises

Seniors, whether in their own homes or assisted living facilities, must have hand strengthening exercises as an integral part of their everyday stretching routine. The primary activities are as follows:

Stretching Out

Finger extensors can be strengthened by using a simple rubber band. You need to wrap it around the fingers and after that push out the fingers against the band's resistance. 15 repetitions of the same will help when done in 3 sets.

Squeeze the Ball

StringyBall which is a stress ball that is attached to a string is being heavily used to perform this exercise. They are available in 3 different densities that help the user put varying amounts of pressure at a time to squeeze the ball. Just 3 to 5 seconds of pressing the ball in the palm can make your grip way stronger that will help you to open jars or hold slightly heavier items easily.

Pressing

You need to press your thumb to each of the fingertips for at least 5 seconds. Start off by pressing the fifth finger. It is useful in improving muscle strength in both the palm and fingers.

Wrist Roll

Do you want to improve your wrist flexors? All you need to do is a few simple wrist rolls. This exercise can be done while sitting or standing by holding any lightweight while keeping the elbow bent with the palm facing up. Proceed to curl up your wrist and keep your forearm and elbow straight all the while. Doing it for a maximum of 10 times in sets of 3 will fetch you best results.

Author Bio: Charlie Brown is a part-time Health Blogger. He is currently doing his masters in Physiotherapy. In his blog posts, he mostly deals with health and injuries and how people can be helped through proper implementation of necessary exercises. He stresses the importance of Hand Exercises for Rehabilitation in many of his writings.

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