Diseases or injuries resulting in reduced blood flow to the vessels in the hand may lead to symptoms of pain, tingling, cold hands and color changes in the fingers. In addition to medical treatment, exercises may improve symptoms. Preventing cumulative trauma injury includes taking regular breaks with exercises to stretch and relax the hands.
Hand Stretches
Stretch for two to three minutes throughout the day. According to Hand Health Resources, stretching tight muscles daily improves circulation. Gentle fist stretches include touching the fingers to the top of the palm in a hook fist, touching the fingers to the middle of the palm in a full fist and touching the fingers to the bottom of the palm in a straight fist. Open hands wide and stretch the fingers by spread the fingers wide apart like webs between fingers, then bring them back together. Stretch the thumb extending upward and away from hand in the hitchhiking position.
Nerve Gliding Exercises
Compression on the blood vessels and nerves supplying the arm may cause pain, numbness or tingling in the hands. Nerve gliding exercises help with rehabilitation for nerve injury. Exercises associated with the radial nerve for the hand start with arm bent and palm upward like a waiter carrying a tray. From starting position, make a light fist and rotate the wrist so the fingers face away from the body. From starting position, rotate the wrist and let the fingers face the body in a loose hand position. From starting position, extend arm downward with elbow toward body and wrist extended backward with fingers toward body. From starting position, keep arm at shoulder height and straighten with elbow backward, wrist extended backward with fingers pointing forward.
Yoga
Yoga poses focused on the upper body improve posture and may improve blood flow to the cells in the arms and hands. Poses with hand stretching include the prayer position with palms and fingers together with fingers spread from each other and then extended by gently separating palms; interlocking fingers with right thumb base over left; and stretching arms overhead with elbows locked and shoulders straight, rotating palms upward.
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