Wrist Isometrics
Gentle no-movement holds that calm tendon pain while keeping the muscles active.
What it helps
Loads the forearm tendons gently without movement — a comfortable way to keep them strong and often to ease tendon pain before they're ready for moving resistance.
How to do it
- Rest the forearm on a table, hand off the edge. For extensors: make a light fist, push the back of the hand up against your other hand — no movement — and hold.
- For flexors: push the palm down against your other hand and hold.
- Use comfortable pressure; the wrist stays still.
Tips
- No movement happens — you're holding against resistance.
- Start light; isometrics often ease tendon pain, so find a comfortable level.
Commonly done as 1 sets of Hold 20–45 sec ×3–5, daily.
Where this appears in recovery
Wrist Isometrics is part of 25 recovery programs, most often at the protected healing (weeks 0–4), early motion (weeks 0–2) and protected healing (weeks 0–2) stages, among others. Each program shows how it fits alongside the other movements:
- Distal Biceps Tendon Repair exercise guide
- Distal Humerus ORIF exercise guide
- UCL Reconstruction (Tommy John) exercise guide
- Total Elbow Arthroplasty exercise guide
- Revision Total Elbow Arthroplasty exercise guide
- Elbow Bursitis (Olecranon) exercise guide
- Elbow Bursitis (Olecranon) exercise guide
- Wrist Arthritis exercise guide
- Wrist Arthritis exercise guide
- Wrist Pain exercise guide
- Wrist Pain exercise guide
- Golfer's Elbow exercise guide
- …and 13 more
All exercise guides · Condition guides · Recovery education
These are general exercise guides, not a personal prescription. The repetitions and frequency shown are what's commonly used — your own surgeon or therapist may advise something different, and their guidance comes first.