Foot movements can help strengthen your feet and provide pain relief.
Hand and finger movements can help strengthen your hands and fingers, increase your range of motion, and provide pain relief.
Note: You should not feel pain when performing these exercises. Please check with your doctor before doing stretches that include discomfort.
Strengthen and Stretch Ankle
- Sit in a chair and remove shoes.
- Trace the alphabet with your toe, which encourages ankle movement in all directions.
- Repeat with other foot.
Strengthen Foot Arch
- Place a towel on the floor, grab the towel with your toes and pull it toward you.
- Repeat 6 – 10 times and perform on both feet.
Stretch Foot Arch
- Sit in a chair and remove shoes.
- Place a tennis ball on the floor and press down on it lightly with the bottom of your foot.
- Roll the ball up and down your foot for 30 seconds.
- Repeat with other foot.
Make a Fist and Open
- Make a gentle fist, wrapping your thumb across your fingers.
- Hold for 3 seconds.
- *Optional* Slowly flex your wrist forward (toward underarm) and extend your wrist back (toward top of arm) to get more wrist mobility.
- Release and spread your fingers and thumb wide.
- Hold for 3 seconds.
- Perform 3-5 times
- Repeat with other hand.
Thumb Touch
- Start with holding your wrist and fingers straight, and your fingers relaxed together.
- Form an O shape by touching your thumb to each fingertip one at a time.
- Moving slowly and smoothly, touch your thumb to your index finger, your middle, ring and small finger.
- Perform 3-5 times
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Repeat with other hand.
Finger and Thumb Side-to-Side
- Rest your hand on a flat surface, with your palm facing down.
- Move your thumb away from your hand.
- Beginning with your index finger, move it toward your thumb.
- Follow with moving your middle, ring and small fingers one at a time toward your thumb.
- Reverse the direction of each finger one at a time, back to starting position.
- Perform 3-5 times
- Repeat with other hand.
