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The hand and wrist

There are 27 bones in the wrist and hand. These work together with muscles and ligaments to allow us to function so we can complete our day to day activities.

  • The fingers have three hinge joints. This means they can bend and straighten and allow us to grip and let go.
  • The wrist can complete lots of movements – bend up and down, move side to side and rotate. 
  • The thumb is very important in day to day activity. It has five separate movements to allow us to do this. Just imagine for a minute trying to lift a kettle or peel a banana without using your thumb! Just like the fingers, the thumb has three joints which allow it to move all the way to reach the base of the little finger!

Each of these movements is just as important.

The fingers, thumb and wrist all work together to allow us to do a range of simple and complex tasks.

Common conditions

  • Osteoarthritis (OA)
  • Tendon inflammation
  • Trigger Finger/Thumb
  • Dupuytrens Contracture
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Exercises for hand and wrist

Other Useful information

Hand splinting

With hand and wrist pain, sometimes splinting can help for a short period to allow symptoms eg pain and swelling, to settle down. Splints can be used during activity and also whilst you are asleep.

It is important that splints are used in a way that they are supportive, but do not create more issues.  For example, using a splint too much can lead to muscle weakness,and this can lead to more pain, the one thing you have been trying to avoid.  Getting the right balance between rest, support and activity is very important.

Some conditions are better suited to splinting during activity to:

  • help prevent pain
  • prevent increases in swelling
  • to increase the ability to complete tasks

Other conditions, such as tendonitis, may require splinting for rest to help with healing.

There are lots of splints that you can get and it is important to use the right splint at the right time. They can be used for a variety of conditions, including carpal tunnel syndrome, de quervains and arthritis. Your therapist can give you more advice on this.

We recommend seeking further advice and medical assessment if you have any of the following:  

  • If you have had a specific injury and are experiencing severe pain with a reduction of movement
  • If after a few weeks your pain is no better with over-the-counter pain relief
  • If you have symptoms such as pins and needles, weakness, or numbness in your hands.
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