6 Forearm Stretches to Relieve Arm and Wrist Pain

Your forearms, or lower arm muscles, have a big job. They allow you to grip and lift so that you can do everything from opening a can of pickles to buttoning your shirt to carrying groceries. There are 19 different small muscles in your forearm that control all the movement from your elbows down your wrists and into your fingers. 

“Your forearm muscles are really important but are often overlooked,” says Samantha Stewart, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. And they’re as vulnerable to pain and tightness due to repetitive stress as other muscle groups, she adds. That’s why forearm stretches are so important. “It’s very easy for these muscles to get overused, but you can give them some TLC by stretching them out,” says Dr. Stewart.

Read on to learn how forearm stretches can prevent and relieve pain and get moves recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists.

Interested in getting a personalized exercise therapy plan? Learn more about Hinge Health’s digital physical therapy program and see if you’re eligible.

6 Forearm Stretches

If you’re not sure how to stretch your forearm, the following exercises are recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists. You can do these forearm stretches for pain or to relieve tight forearms, says Dr. Stewart. They are also a good warm-up or cool-down before or after activities that use your forearms, wrists, and hands a lot, like typing, gardening, playing tennis, or even lifting weights.

“This move will stretch the forearm muscles that connect all the way to your elbow, which can help to prevent tendonitis and chronic irritation in the area from overuse,” explains Dr. Stewart.

How to do it:

• Raise your arm in front of you with your elbow straight and your palm facing the floor. 

• Use your other hand to gently pull the palm of your hand up toward the ceiling. 

• Allow your fingers to be relaxed and mostly bent as you hold this stretch. 

• Relax your pressure and return to the starting position. 

Get more information on how to do the wrist flexor stretch.

This forearm extensor stretch lengthens the muscles that go up to your elbow, but on the opposite side of the muscles worked in the wrist flexor stretch. “Your forearm muscles go around your forearm bone in a 360-degree pattern,” explains Dr. Stewart. “Stretching both sides ensures a smooth movement pattern.”

How to do it:

• Raise your arm in front of you with your elbow straight and your palm facing the floor. 

• Use your other hand to gently push on the back of your raised hand until your fingers point down toward the floor. 

• Allow your fingers to be relaxed and mostly straight as you hold this stretch. 

• Relax your pressure and return to the starting position.

“When you do wrist rotations, you move through an active stretch of the forearm muscles that turn your palms up and down,” says Dr. Stewart. “It’s a motion we do quite often during the day without realizing it.”

How to do it:

• Stand with your elbow bent to 90 degrees and resting at your side. Your hand should be open with your thumb pointing toward the ceiling. 

• Rotate your hand so your palm is facing the ceiling. Keep your elbow at your side as you hold. 

• Return to the starting position with your thumb pointing toward the ceiling. 

• Rotate your hand so your palm is facing the floor and hold. 

• Return to the starting position.

“This stretch, which moves your wrist from side to side, stretches the muscles that run along the sides of your forearm and connect over your wrist and down to your hand,” says Dr. Stewart.

How to do it:

• Sit in a chair with your forearm resting on a table and your hand hanging off the edge. The palm of your hand should face the floor and your wrist should be straight. 

• Move your hand sideways by moving the pinky side away from your body. Your palm should continue to face the floor. 

• Return to the starting position. 

• Move your hand in the other direction by moving the thumb side in toward your body, and then hold. 

• Relax back to the starting position.

By beginning in the downward dog position, you’ll load your wrist more, which will deepen the stretch as you move your body forward and back. “It allows you to go through both flexion and extension of your wrists,” adds Dr. Stewart.

How to do it:

• Start on your hands and knees and move into a high plank position. With your hands in line with your shoulders, raise your hips to about shoulder height. 

• Move your chest toward your feet to bring your head between your arms as your butt moves up toward the ceiling. Your legs and back are aiming to be mostly straight as you hinge at your hips, but they can bend as needed. 

• Move back to the high plank position by lowering your hips and moving your head back from between your arms.

This move stretches your finger muscles, many of which are connected to your forearm muscles, explains Dr. Stewart. When your finger muscles are tight, they put more strain on forearm muscles, which can lead to pain and a loss of flexibility.

How to do it:

• Rest the elbow of your targeted hand on a table. Your hand, wrist, and fingers should be straight with your fingers together. 

• Bend your fingers at your large knuckles while keeping your fingers straight, making a tabletop position. Hold, and then relax back to the starting position. 

• Bend at the middle of your fingers, touching fingertips to the bottom of your palm to make a straight fist. Hold this position, then relax. 

• Bend the tips of your fingers and thumb toward the top of your palm, making a hook fist. Hold, and then relax. 

• Make a full fist with your hand by bending all your fingers and your thumb toward the middle of your palm. Hold this position, and then relax. 

The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.

Benefits of Forearm Stretches

Forearm stretches improve the flexibility of your forearm, wrist, and fingers. This in turn helps them become more resilient and better able to handle day-to-day challenges. Here are some of the biggest benefits.

• Relax overworked muscles. “We use our forearm muscles repetitively throughout the day, which causes them to contract and become tighter and shorter,” explains Dr. Stewart. When you stretch your forearm muscles, you can help restore them to their full range of motion.

• Boost forearm balance. “We have muscles on top of our forearms, below them, and on the sides, each with a different role: some pull your wrist up and down, while others rotate your palm,” says Dr. Stewart. “We want to make sure all of them are equally flexible, because otherwise it will restrict your forearm’s motion.”

• Increase fine-motor skills. Think about all of the things you do each day that require fine-motor skills: You grab your car keys, pick up your coffee cup, or jot something down with a pen and paper. “You might think these are little movements, but your forearm muscles play an important role since they help to lift your wrists,” explains Dr. Stewart. When they are loose and limber, it makes it easier for you to do these fine-motor movements.

• Prevent injury. Repetitive hand, wrist, and arm movements can increase your risk of developing forearm tendinitis, or even carpal tunnel syndrome. Stretching helps to loosen up forearm muscles, so you’re less vulnerable to these conditions. It also increases blood flow to the area, which helps to relieve any inflammation or irritation, adds Dr. Stewart.

How Hinge Health Can Help You

If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program. 

The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you. 

Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you. 

See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.

This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.

References 

1. Mitchell, B., & Whited, L. (2018, December 23). Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Forearm Muscles. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536975/

2. Rodrigues, J., Santos-Faria, D., Silva, J., Azevedo, S., Tavares-Costa, J., & Teixeira, F. (2019). Sonoanatomy of anterior forearm muscles. Journal of Ultrasound, 22(3), 401–405. doi:10.1007/s40477-019-00388-z