When we moved house we transitioned to shiny, new induction hobs. None of my old pots and pans, bar one, worked on the new elements, so it was time to purchase new ones. I went out and bought good quality pots and pans with solid metal bases.
When I started to use them I could hardly lift them up with one hand. If I was struggling with them now, how would my wrist strength cope later in life? I wondered.
It’s a legitimate concern as we naturally lose muscle strength as we age. However, there is an even more important thing than lifting pots to be aware of when it comes to wrist strength and aging, and that is having a fall.
Heading for a Fall
I don’t know if you’ve tripped over lately, but you don’t bounce anymore. You come down hard and your hands are there to soften the blow. The impact on your wrists is nothing like I remember as a kid, where the scraped knees or elbows seemed to come off the worst.
No matter which direction we fall in forward, backward or sideways our natural reaction is to put our hands out to cushion the impact. Taking the full weight of the fall on our wrist joint is not the ideal way to fall and there are techniques you can practice that lower the risk of injury. If you don’t have the mobility to implement these techniques then wrist strength and flexibility becomes even more important in avoiding a wrist fracture.
Once you have had a wrist fracture the news gets worse. A study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research found that after a broken wrist there is an increased risk of subsequent fractures – a 40% increased risk of leg fracture, 50% increased risk of spine or hip fractures, and over 80% increased risk for upper or lower arm fractures.
Decline in Wrist Strength and Flexibility with Age
Like other muscle groups there is a natural decline in wrist strength as we age. When we talk about wrist strength we are actually referring to a group of 18 muscles in your forearms which control wrist movements, each with a specific function.
Hand function remains fairly stable until the age of 65 years, after which it diminishes slowly. After the age of 75 years, age differences in performance become more apparent. By the age of 90 your wrist range of motion is 60% that of a 30 year old. Additional deterioration can occur due to diseases like osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
This loss of strength and flexibility can have a major impact on quality of life like, for example, difficulty with simple tasks like opening jars.
Wrist strength and dexterity are related
Another thing related to wrist strength that older people struggle with is hand dexterity, where precision movement is needed, for example dialling a number on a phone.
A study published in 2015 showed that hand strength and dexterity were related through a variety of tests that measured steadiness, tracking, aiming and tapping. The study found that grip strength naturally declined with age, but those who had a relatively higher grip strength in old age also had better dexterity, especially in the aiming and tapping tests. Other factors such as eyesight possibly influenced the results when it came to steadiness and tracking.
Exercises for wrist strength and mobility
Maintaining wrist strength therefore has multiple benefits for both avoiding injury and maintaining dexterity. The good news is that regular exercise programs for hand strength and flexibility can improve hand function. Pianists and violinists maintain manual dexterity into old age presumably through regular exercise, so lose it or use applies here too.
Due to the complexity of the wrist joint with its 18 muscles, doing only one kind of wrist exercise is not going to cut it. You need to include exercises that involve the full range of motion, and target flexibility as well as strength.
Gentle exercises for flexibility
- With a bent elbow, grasp the fingers of that hand with the other hand. Pull the hand back gently to flex the wrist until you feel the stretch. Repeat the same exercise with a straight arm.
- With a bent elbow, grasp the thumb side of the hand and bend your wrist downward to extend your wrist. Repeat the same exercise with a straight arm.
- With your thumb positioned outward, move the thumb across the palm and then back to the starting position. Repeat the movement several times.
- Support your forearm on its side (on a table on a rolled-up towel), thumb upward. Move the hand straight up and down in small motions. This is called radial deviation.
- Place palms together and bring them to heart centre. Keeping palms together raise hands up and down in this position.
- Rotate wrists in a circular motion.
More challenging exercises for flexibility
- On hands and knees place hands palm down with fingers pointing forward. Rock gently forward.
- Now point fingers backwards towards your knees. Rock backwards.
- Point fingers out to the sides. Rock from side to side.
- Try placing your palms upwards in the positions above. This can be quite uncomfortable so take it carefully.
Simple strengthening exercises
- Squeeze a rubber ball, (or a substitute like a rolled up sock).
- Extend an elastic band on all your fingers opening outwards.
- Support your arm on a table with the hand hanging over the edge. With a dumbbell in your hand with palm facing down lift the weight to strengthen wrist extension.
- Do the same with the dumbbell in your hand with palm facing upwards to strengthen wrist flexion.
- In the same position holding the dumbbell rotate your wrist so your palm faces up (supination).
- Now do the same this time rotating the wrist down (pronation).
You can do these strengthening exercises with a TheraBand instead of a dumbbell too. You can loop the band under your foot and use the wrist only, forearm or whole arm to do the exercises.
Activities and fitness all contribute
Of course your wrists are not isolated from the rest of your body. Exercises that include your whole body like planks, press-ups and handstands will also naturally strengthen your wrists at the same time as your core. Sports using a racket or bat, like tennis or cricket, and paddling in a kayak or on a stand-up paddleboard will all strengthen your wrists too. Playing a musical instrument has additional benefits when it comes to dexterity.
And there is always cooking. Kneading dough or lifting heavy pans all contribute. It could be that my problem with pots and pans is also part of the solution.
References
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Carolyn J Crandall, et al.: Wrist Fracture and Risk of Subsequent Fracture: Findings from the Women’s Health Initiative Study
Jason A. Martin, et al: Age and Grip Strength Predict Hand Dexterity in Adults
Eli Carmeli, Hagar Patish, Raymond Coleman: The Aging Hand
Harvard Health Publishing: Give grip strength a hand
Dr Susan E. Brown: Why You Should Strengthen Your Wrists
Healthline: 11 Ways to Strengthen Your Wrists
Brett Sears, PT: How to Strengthen Your Wrists
Photo by Amin Hasani on Unsplash
Heather Ogden-Handa
Good to meet you! I’m a marketer and writer interested in aging and longevity. I see lots of great information out there, so I’m keen to share topics that take my interest. Over time I hope the knowledge and community around this blog will have a positive impact on the healthy lifestyles of many individuals.