Hi and welcome to this week's stretch of the week. This week we'll be talking about the wrist flexor stretch. The primary muscles which flex the wrist are the flexor carpi radialis, flexor carpi ulnaris and the palmaris longus, which are all use extensively in everyday activities. There are three primary muscles which are used to extend the wrist, they are the extensor carpi radialis longus, the extensor carpi radialis brevis and the extensor carpi ulnaris. Tightness in the wrist can cause tension but usual does not limit the range of motion unless the wrist has been immobilized for some reason.

To do this stretch the stretcher is lying on their back with their elbow straight and their wrist and fingers extended as far as possible. the partner places their palm against the stretchers, matching thumb to thumb and fingers together with their other hand stabilising their forearm. The stretcher should try to flex their wrist and fingers towards the ceiling, don't forget to stretchthe thumb as well. The strecher should breathe in deeply and on the exhale extend their wrist and fingers again back towards the floor. The partner can gently push on the stretcher's fingers to deepen the stretch.

Always remember that while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation.  Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time.  Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (blog #50).

Information obtained from McAtee, R. & Charland, J. (1993) Facilitated Stretching
Images from www.wikipedia.com

Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'. Now we all know this stretch and probably do it on a regular basis, especially with the increase of computers and longer hours spent typing. It is not a hard stretch to do but a lot of people forget to do it before exercising with their arms. 
 
The palms-out wrist stretch includes muscles that span from your elbow all the way down to the base of your palm. That includes the flexor carpi radius and ulnaris, the palmaris longus, pronator teres and anconeus in the forarm. The flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor pollicis longus and flexor digitorum profundus of the palm are also involved.

Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.

This is a very common stretch so there is not much explination required, but it is good to note to keep you thumb pointing directly downwards. It is also important to relax your shoulders as much as you can, otherwise you will create tension and tightness in your traps potentially cause a different set of issues.

The palms-out wrist stretch is good for tennis, golfer's or throwers elbow, as well as wrist sprain, dislocation or tendonitis. It also helps with carpel tunnel syndrome and ulnar tunnel syndrome.

Always rememberthat while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation.  Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time.  Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (The first posting on this stretching blog).

Image taken from "Upper Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.