Wrists and hands · Seated or Standing
Prayer stretch
Pressing the palms together in front of the chest and lowering the hands, to stretch both wrists at once.
- Hold 15 to 30 s
- Held stretch
How to do it
- Sit tall and press your palms together in front of your chest, fingers pointing up.
- Keeping the palms together, slowly lower the hands toward your waist. Your elbows will move outward.
- Stop when you feel a stretch under the forearms.
- Hold, then relax the hands apart.
How long
Hold for 5 to 7 seconds and repeat three times (NMSU), or hold for up to 20 seconds once.
What you should feel
A stretch along the inside of both forearms and wrists.
Stop if…
- Pain, numbness, tingling or pins and needles, or dizziness: stop and do not push through it.
- Pain in the wrist joint itself, rather than a stretch in the forearm.
Variations
- Elbows on the desk. Rest the elbows on the desk with palms together, and lower the wrists toward the desk.
- Gentler. Lower the hands only a little way.
Common mistakes
- Letting the palms come apart.
- Shrugging the shoulders.
- Pressing into pain.
Use it in a routine
The stretch routine builder can play this with other wrists and hands stretches, with a countdown for each side and a chime at every change. The stretch break timer adds stretches like it to a break after each work interval.
Sources
Written from published guidance by health services, physiotherapy and ergonomics bodies. Last reviewed .
- Stretching at the workstation (PDF), New Mexico State University Environmental Health and Safety
- Standing stretches for the workplace (video), Mayo Clinic (general stretching guidance)
- Desk-based exercises, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (UK) (general stretching guidance)