If you’re anything like me, you probably spend hours a day on a device of some size, with your hands holding on for dear life in a claw-like shape. I was always convinced that the tension in the topside of my forearm, the extensor compartment, was because the muscles were fatigued from hovering my wrists over my keyboard all day. Per usual, Dr. Dawn McCrory of Kinesis busted another body myth – that the extensors were not tight because they were shortened all day, but because they were overstretched and weak compared to the super strong claw grippers.
Think about it – what position do your hands spend most of the day in? Most likely it’s draped over your steering wheel, spread out over your keyboard or holding on to groceries, kids, purses and devices. We hardly ever take our wrists into any amount of extension – no wonder our wrists get so fatigued during downdog, handstands and overhead presses! In addition to our lack of grip strength (see Monkeying Around), the lack of extension has left us with overly strong and stiff flexors and extensors that are locked long.
So, what to do? Try my wrist strengthening exercise, shown in the video below. If you suffer from any myriad of wrist, elbow, or shoulder pain – this is something you seriously need to do. Just as you brush your teeth each day (I hope!), you need to take your joints through their various ranges of possible motion to ensure to maintain health and flexibility throughout your body. Motion is lotion!
