Buzz
Recently, I’ve come to realize that at the age of 30, I’ve noticed a decline in my hand dexterity. In the past, I could easily hold both my iced coffee and phone with one hand, but now it seems like my hands are limited to just one task at a time. It’s a bit unsettling, if I’m honest, as it’s a reminder of time passing. Thankfully, there are ways to regain some of that dexterity, so let’s put aside thoughts of aging and instead focus on making our hands as capable as possible.
What is dexterity?
In simple terms, dexterity is the ability to perform tasks, especially with your hands. As Sam Vascones, a personal trainer from New York, puts it, “You need it for daily activities and to respond to whatever comes your way throughout the day.”
When you consider all the tasks you perform with your hands each day, from making scrambled eggs in the morning to folding laundry in the evening (and everything in between), it’s clear how important dexterity is for daily living. Kendra Vander Wal, an occupational therapist in Colorado, also pointed out that dexterity is key not just for daily activities, but for having fun too. For instance, you need dexterity to play sports or operate a remote control or video game controller.
Loss of dexterity can be caused by many factors, according to Stephanie Weyrauch, a physical therapist and vice president of the American Physical Therapy Association of Connecticut. These causes can include osteoarthritis, stroke, or trauma, but can also result from not properly maintaining it. For example, someone who played an instrument in high school and later stopped may find it difficult to play again as well when they pick it up in adulthood.
“This suggests that our brain plays a role in dexterity too,” she explained. “Practice leads to improvement. The more we engage our hands in a task, the easier it becomes.”
Vascones highlighted that a lack of flexibility, mobility, or strength can also affect dexterity.
How can you improve dexterity?
For expert advice on enhancing dexterity, we reached out to Weyrauch and personal trainer Abdias Rojas. “Shit,” Rojas responded (with great excitement), “there are so many exercises you can do to improve not only the strength of your hands but their flexibility too.” Below are their top recommendations:
Place rubber bands around your fingers, then stretch and release them. Rojas explained that this helps with myofascial release, “and makes your hands feel more at ease.” This video provides a demonstration of the rubber band technique.
Practice seated finger DIP PROM movements by gently pinching the tip of your finger at the last knuckle and slowly bending it using your other hand. According to Weyrauch, this exercise should be done daily, 10 reps per finger, with each dip lasting 10 seconds.
Seated finger PIP PROM movements, which should be performed with the same frequency and duration as the previous exercise, involve gently pinching your finger at the middle knuckle, then bending it with your other hand. (It’s a bit like this.)
A seated multiple digit intrinsic stretch involves sitting upright with your elbow on a table. Curl your fingers of one hand, holding the middle and top joints of each finger with the other hand. Gently squeeze until you feel a stretch. Repeat 10 times, holding each for 10 seconds, every day.
Try wrist tendon gliding by resting your elbow on a table, keeping your fingers straight. Then, bend your fingers at the bottom knuckles to form a “tabletop” shape. Straighten them, bend your bottom and middle knuckles, straighten your hand, make a claw fist, straighten again, and form a half fist before straightening once more. Perform this exercise daily in sets of two, with 10 reps each.
To learn how much pressure to apply when touching objects, practice hand drills in sand. “It may sound strange,” Rojas warned, “but when you perform hand drills inside a sandbox, placing your hands in the sand, you can literally learn to squeeze and feel which joint or finger is exerting more or less pressure.” You can also try pinching a ball of putty with your thumb, index, and middle fingers while keeping your wrist straight.
Practice opposition by touching your thumb to each individual finger on the same hand, varying the speed. (This is a technique recommended by both Rojas and Weyrauch, so it’s proven effective.)
To improve your tactile sensitivity, avoid using gloves during exercises.
For improved grip strength, Rojas suggested heavy isolated holds, which involve standing still while holding a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell and using your grip to maintain the hold.
Rojas also recommended forearm workouts for grip strength, as many muscles in the hand are connected to those in the forearm.
To strengthen your wrists, try wrist mobility drills: “Lean into them with your palm down on the floor. Then, lean into them with the backs of your hands on the floor, rolling them, putting weight on and off [the wrist],” Rojas suggested.
Lastly, try seated eccentric wrist extension. Sit upright with an arm resting on a table, holding a dumbbell with your hand hanging off the edge and your palm facing down. Use your other hand to curl your wrist up, lower it, and repeat. Perform this exercise in sets of two, with 20 reps each, every day.
In addition to exercises, Rojas recommended hand massages and even acupuncture. Vascones also suggested that individuals struggling to manage multiple items with one hand should work with vice grips and not skip forearm workouts. “If it’s a mobility issue, you might need to stretch the hand and forearm or work on supination and pronation of the hand.” According to Vander Wal, you can make it enjoyable: “Leisure activities like working with clay or putty, spraying water bottles, or cutting with scissors can also help build dexterity.”
Don't forget to consider the overall health of your body when working to improve dexterity. Weyrauch emphasized that “without optimal gross (which involve larger movements and multiple muscle groups) and fine motor (which require more precision) skills, which contribute to the dexterity of our hands, we wouldn’t be able to complete” everyday tasks.
If you're struggling with dexterity issues that hinder your daily activities or exercises aren't helping, it might be time to consult a medical professional or physical therapist. Vander Wal mentioned that a trained expert can conduct assessments, such as the O’Connor finger dexterity test. Identifying the cause and severity of the issue will help you devise a better improvement plan—and soon you’ll be back to multitasking with your keys and phone or dominating your favorite video game in no time.
