Rubber Band Therapy for Finger Pain

If you are looking for a cheap, convenient way to exercise all aspects of finger motion

, then look no further than your desk top drawer. Rubber bands, those cheap, ubiquitous strips of latex that you rarely seem to need, turn out to be a very effective tool for finger and hand therapy. There are a few reasons why they make such good therapy devices.

Firstly, they are cheap. Very rarely in life does cheap equate to high quality, but in this instance, cheap is great. If you have zero dollars to spend on one of the more intricate exercise gadgets, great finger rehab is still available. With a little imagination, rubber bands can mimic nearly all of the functions of higher priced gadgets. Granted, they won't be able to reproduce the more complex movements but they can cover most.

Second, rubber bands can work a vastly overlooked area of finger rehab, and that is extension exercises. The majority of items on the market tend to stress flexion movements which are closing or gripping movements. This is an essential part of therapy, but it can lead to overtraining of the muscle flexors which can be bad. Think of the bodybuilder who only focuses on bench pressing movements while ignoring movements for the upper back. You can usually spot these guys because they are the ones who have rounded shoulders and walk around with a bit of a forward hunch. By ignoring the antagonistic muscles of the back and only flexing the chest muscles, the pec muscles tend to shorten and pull the shoulders and chest forward. By working the muscles opposite to the pecs, you get a more balanced posture.

The fingers work the same way. If you only work on strengthening the muscles that close the fingers, you will develop an imbalance in the hands that can lead to pain and overuse injuries. By spending time focusing on the opposing muscles, you will achieve balance in the musculature. Don't be surprised if you actually gain strength in the muscles that flex. Often all a muscle needs to improve is some attention on its antagonistic partner. Rubber bands are a convenient way to accomplish this.

Thirdly, rubber bands can be taken anywhere, and can be used while engrossed in other activities. This convenience can not be underestimated. When something is a hassle, you quickly forget to do it, or find reasons not to. But with rubber bands, there is no excuse. Toss a few in your pocket or purse and they are there whenever you have a free moment. Pretty soon you will find that you subconsciously reach for them while sitting in traffic or waiting for an elevator.

Finally, rubber bands are fun. I don't mean just as a decoration. But, I learned a few magic tricks with them which were really cool. So not only was I receiving therapy for my fingers and hands, but I entertained a few people along the way. The funny thing is, while learning a magic trick, I stopped thinking of the rubber band work as therapy. That is probably why I had such great success with them.

So, grab a handful of rubber bands and get to work. Go to the office superstore, check out different thicknesses and lengths and have some fun on your way to healthy hands.

Rubber Band Therapy for Finger Pain

By: Patrick Albanese

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