Will your hand pain go away if you strengthen your hands?
The reason that you have pain in your wrists and hands
may be because of muscle imbalance. That means that some of your
muscles are stronger and some (usually on the opposite side) are weaker.
Since
you usually hold your hands in a closed or semi-closed position, the
muscles on the palm side of your hand tend to get short and tight.
The muscles on the back side of your hand tend to become stretched and
lose tone.
This applies to your lower arms, too. Some muscles get short and tight and some lose tone. Your goal is to keep ALL of your muscles in use and balanced.
Strengthening your hands will keep the muscles on the palm side of your arm short. That is NOT the effect you want. You are after muscular balance all the way around your arm.
You might not have realized it but hand pain is very often caused by muscles in the lower arms.
Feel and press around one of your arms between your elbow and wrist. Are there tight, tender areas? Those just may be the places that are causing your hand pain.
How can you get balanced muscles?
1. Massage ALL of them, either yourself or professionally. (See
the “Massage Category” on the right hand side of this page.) Spend extra time on knotty areas.
2. Stretch the tighter, shorter muscles on the palm side of your arm. You can tell which muscles need stretching when you stretch them. Does it feel like it’s stretching? Then it needs it.
3. Strengthen the muscles that don’t get much use. They might feel tight or tender, too, but they don’t have much strength. Long, strong muscles are the goal.
The
reason that physical therapy often fails is because it tries to
strengthen muscles before they have been returned to their neutral
positions. Once the muscles in your hands and arms are “neutralized”
with massage or stretching only then it is time to begin a strengthening
program to get rid of your carpal tunnel pain.
When the muscles in your hands and arms are all in balance and working in harmony again you will be rid of the pain in your hands.
Hi Jennifer,
Movement is the key, you are right. Movement helps us heal, even little tiny movement. The benefit of massage is that it moves the tissues–it acts as natural movement. Take good care of your hand and arm in a thoughtful way and you can heal the pain in your right hand.
Thank you for writing.
Kathryn
The Pain Relief Coach
When I was in high school, I was on a drum line. After several years of playing the bass drum I developed some debilitating pain in my right hand and wrist. After high school I began waiting tables and carrying the heavy plates amplified the pain I was in. Now, five years later- I am still in pain. I avoid using my right hand at all cost but as I was reading this article I realized that could be causing me more pain. Movement seems to be the key to healing and injury. Thanks for the pointers.