Stretch Your Fingers

It is quite common to see people forcibly pulling or bending their fingers frequently and producing snapping noises. Do you know why? By doing so, they reduce the joint stiffness of their fingers, even though temporarily. But aren't fingers designed to do a wide range of jobs-from holding, pulling and pushing objects to writing, typing and doing all manual jobs? Yes, true! So why do fingers become stiff?

Like all other parts of the body, finger muscles also need regular stretching. However, if you use your fingers to do jobs that limit or reduce their movement for long periods (e.g. writing, typing, playing a musical instrument, etc.), finger joints become less flexible progressively. That explains their stiffness and the urge to snap them frequently. With the passage of time, these finger joints could become internally bruised and swollen.

Presented below is a series of three sets of exercises that you can attempt as often as you can to improve the flexibility of your fingers and wrist.

Part A: Paper Ball Exercise

1. Take a large sheet of cardboard or any thick paper.
2. With your right hand fingers, apply pressure on this sheet, crumpling it slowly.
3. Increase pressure with fingers and wrist to compress the crumpled paper and shape it as a ball.
4. Take a fresh sheet of cardboard and repeat steps 1-3 with your left hand.

Handy Tips

1. The stiffer the paper, better the exercise. In case you cannot get hold of cardboard, pick up a roll of 5 or 6 computer sheets.
2. Continue to compress the crumpled paper until you cannot compress it further.
3. After completing the fourth step, compare the two compressed balls. This way, you will be able to compare the flexibility and power of your right-hand and left-hand fingers.

Part B: Rubber Band Exercise

1. Take a large rubber band. Loop it around the five fingers of your right hand, giving one twist between any two fingers, so that you can feel the band resisting.
2. Try to stretch the rubber band, utilising all the five fingers, so that the distance between any two fingers is nearly the same. [Fig. 1]
3. Hold the fingers in stretched position for at least 30 seconds.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 with a fresh rubber band and your left hand.

Handy Tips

1. Gradually increase the thickness of the rubber band so that the resistance increases.
2. Just before starting the exercise, clench and unclench your fist 10 times to warm up. Repeat after completing a sequence (steps 1 to 3).

Part C: Rubber Ball Exercise.

1. Take a small rubber ball, filled with air-one that you can easily grip with your hand, enveloping it from all sides.
2. Squeeze the ball, employing all five fingers and wrist.
3. Hold for 20 seconds at least, at maximum squeeze position
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 with the other hand.

Handy Tips

1. If you have difficulty attempting any of the above exercises, don't do it!
2. If you want more of a stretch, use solid rubber balls, e.g. squash or golf balls.

General Precautions

Do not hurry through the steps. If you cannot hold any pose beyond 5 seconds, you need not! To be slow but steady is the best strategy.
If your wrists are inflamed or feel hurt, or if you feel pain in your fingers either during or after a step, consult a qualified orthopedist before starting on the exercises.

Flexible fingers are a boon for everybody. But each time you feel like snapping them, stop! Go for a rubber band, cardboard or rubber ball instead, and do the above exercises quickly.