I broke my fifth metacarpal–broke the knuckle right off. I’ve done the pins & stuff and the doc says that the bone is all healed up, but I need to strengthen my hand (and I suppose my wrist, too, since it was immobilized for three months). What is the best way to do this? How can I screw this up, and how do I avoid doing so?
The course of treatment for my father, after he nearly cut his thumb off with a razor knife and was healed enough to begin rehab, went thusly:
Start with a raquetball, and squeeze it as often as feels comfortable. Eventually, he moved on to a tennis ball, then a “stress ball”, then a V-shaped grip thingy. Take it slowly, and stop when you begin to feel sore or if you feel pain.
Years ago, I had carpal tunnel surgery. After the half-cast came off, I was shocked to see this skinny shrunken hand with no muscles. I was told to squeeze the rubber ball too. Luckily for me, my insurance covered physical therapy, which proved to be just what I needed to be able to go back to work alot sooner, and 98% healed.
The two best things they had me do were:
-
They attatched about two to three feet of rubber tubing to a cane, and attatched a weight to the end of the tubing. Then, they would have me hold the cane straight out in front of me and, gripping with both hands, slowly roll the weight up…then slowly roll it back down again. 10 reps to start, 1lb.wt
Little by little, they increased the weight and the repetitions. -
This was the part that I loved…after exercising, they would ice the hand (which I hated) for about ten minutes, then have me put the hand into melted wax, up past the wrist. Then I would start making a fist…remove hand from wax, flex fingers, make a fist…then peel off the wax, and start over…way cool.
-
(Sorry Opal)
By the way, I was told that the “No pain, No gain” theory was crap, as far as an INJURY is concerned…they said if it is hurting, not just sore, but hurting, you are doing too much. Slow down a little, and do a little less to rebuild the muscle tone and strengh slowly. If you push too much, too fast, you will set your recovery back.
Hope this helps.
Check with your doc first, but there’s a neato resistance gadget, whose name is escaping me right now, which fits in the palm of your hand and is designed for guitarists to improve finger strength and dexterity. It costs $15 or so, if memory serves, and comes in different levels of resistance. It’s got a button for each finger, and a booklet with a bunch of exercises for using your fingers to press down individual keys in various combinations.
Step 1) Grab your penis. If you do not have a penis, borrow a friend’s.
Step 2) Squeeze the penis you have chosen.
Step 3) Move hand up and down the penis rapidly.
Eva Luna, is this it?
Great thinking! I could kill two birds w/ one stone and get me some of that Steve Martin’s Penis Beauty Cream.
The devices Eva Luna mentioned are used a lot by rock climbers, so you can get them at most climbing stores. Rei has them. I use one frequently.
There’s also a device called an Eagle Claw or somesuch which is a frame with spring-mounted rings for each finger and thumb. Never used one, but I know some martial artists who do.
One of the martial artists I know has a daily ritual where he crumples the morning newspaper as a hand exercise. With a sheet of newspaper flat on a table, put your hand over the edge of the paper and curl your fingers under to pull the paper toward you. Do this over and over to crumple the sheet into a ball. It’s important to hold your hand still on the table so you’re using only finger movements to pull and crumple the paper. You can do one or two sheets to get a light workout. If you can do the whole paper, you’re recovered. Please recycle…
I’ve just started using the Powerball. It uses a gyro to produce resistance and has a counter so you can challenge yourself to improve your score. It’s a fun way to work on the grip/wrist…
I recommend— mercilessly crushing your enemies, 'til their blood & entrails run redly through your fingers! MYA-HA-HA-HAHAAAAA!
Or–the little ball thing.
Yep, that’s the one. It’s even the same model I have at home.
After my cast came off, my mom signed me up for piano lessons.