in the may edition of "i've got your back" we are talking about how to work out tight and tender forearm and hand muscles!
:: pin and stretch ::
starting with the inside of your forearm up, palm up, curl your palm towards your arm. use your opposite hand to squeeze the "meaty" part of your forearm (the top half!) and find a tender spot. once you've got a good spot pinned under your thumb, extend your wrist away from your arm, reaching your fingertips back toward your elbow. repeat again and again finding new tender spots! wrist curls up, opposite hand pins down a tight spot, stretch the hand away.
flipping around to the other side of the arm, it'll be the same sequence except this time the back of your hand comes towards you, and you can use your thumb or your first two fingers to squeeze on the muscles on the back of the forearm. the stretch will come from pulling your palm away from you and down toward the ground.
repeat on the other arm! there isn't a specific recommendation for how many times or how often you should do this - it's really up to you and how your arms are feeling. you should feel a little discomfort as you work out these muscles but it shouldn't be too painful.
:: hand massage ::
grab a pen or pencil or a chopstick - whatever you have lying around! have one hand be the 'focus' hand, the one who is receiving the massage first. use the pen and your other hand to work on the muscles at the base of the thumb, across the heel of your palm, maybe along the back of your thumb, the pinky side of your palm ... anywhere that feels good! of course the hand that is 'giving' the massage will get rolled too, but focus on one hand at a time and then switch hands, taking turns which is getting the attention. really focus on how your hand is feeling, maybe even pause halfway through and notice how the hand receiving the massage feels different after the work you've done.
if you have any questions, about these practices or others, don't hesitate to reach out! my email is drstephvos@gmail.com and i love to chat about bodies :)
stay tuned the last wednesday of the month for "i've got your back" at 8:20(ish) on wtip.org's north shore morning show!
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