“Fitness Minutes” Elbow, Wrist & Hand Exercise Video
Hello everyone,
It is human nature for our bodies to find the path of least resistance (easiest route of movement) whether we are in pain or not. This often leads to compensated movement mechanics that cause overuse injuries in the smaller muscles of our elbows, wrists and hands. In this week's "Fitness Minutes" video, I demonstrate a few ways you can stretch and strengthen these areas in conjunction with the whole body to decrease inflammation and facilitate healing. I also show a helpful self-mobilization technique for the palm side of the hand to loosen tendons and a small muscle group called the the thenar eminence that is commonly restricted.
The human body is capable of healing itself if it is set up for success. This involves whole body motion when performing exercises for the elbows, wrists and hands to engage the bigger muscles around your core and hips. This will re-train these powerful muscles to pull their weight and take pressure and force off the little muscles of the elbows, wrists and hands.
On a different note, this will be the last "Fitness Minutes" video for a while. We are excited to have just launched our fitness class programs this week (which you all received in a separate email), so our efforts have shifted toward this now. These classes are a great way to take what you have learned from the "Fitness Minutes" videos and bring it all together with an exercise routine promoting great functional mobility and strength from head to toe. I hope you are able to join some classes to achieve optimal fitness!
Have a great week!
In health,
Lisa J. Baumgart, MPT, CAFS, FAFS, IFNCP
"Move to the dance of life - As our dance partner, life insists that we put ourselves in motion that we learn to live with instability, chaos, change, and surprise. We can continue to stand immobilized on the shoreline, trying to protect ourselves from life's insistent storms, or we can begin moving. We can watch our plans be washed away, or we can discover something new." - Margaret Wheatley
View the video below for this week’s “Fitness Minutes” all about the elbow, wrist, and hand!
Provided by Lisa J. Baumgart, MPT, CAFS, FAFS, IFNCP, owner of Greylock Physical Therapy.