Wrist stretch on hands and knees

Keeping the muscles of the wrists and forearms flexible is extremely important in the prevention of repetitive motion injuries such as tennis elbow or carpal tunnel syndrome. If these areas are tight, the muscles and tendons can be forced beyond their natural range of movement. If you have or think you may have carpal tunnel syndrome, you may want to skip this stretch.
To do this stretch, follow these steps:

1. Kneel on all fours with most of your weight on your knees.
2. Turn the wrist of your left hand so your fingers point toward your knees and your palm is toward the floor.
3. Inhale and as you exhale gently lower the palm of your hand to the floor as you shift your hips toward your heels.
4. You should feel the stretch in the palm of your hand and forearm.
5. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds or four to five slow, deep breaths.
6. Release the stretch and lift your left hand off the floor and turn your wrist so the back of your hand is now on the floor with your fingers toward your knees.
7. Inhale and as you exhale gently move your wrist toward the floor and your hips toward your heels.
8. Hold for 30 seconds or four to five slow, deep breaths.
9. Repeat these two stretches on your other wrist.

A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do keep your shoulder blades down and your body weight shifting toward your heels.
• Don’t put all your weight on the wrist that you’re stretching.
• Don’t bounce in the stretch.