Hand & Wrist Pain

This guide is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The guidance here is general, and you should always listen to the advice of your personal healthcare provider.

Our hands and wrists are involved in almost everything we do—from opening a jar, to typing an email, to gripping a dumbbell. So, when they hurt, it can feel frustrating and limiting.

When it comes to exercise, hand or wrist pain can make you feel like you need to stop completely, especially with movements where you have to put weight on your hands.

But here is the key message: Keeping your hands and wrists moving is usually the best thing you can do for them. This guide will help you modify your workouts so you can keep building strength without aggravating your pain.

"Why Do My Wrists/Hands Hurt?"

There are many reasons why hands and wrists get sore. You might be dealing with:

• Osteoarthritis (OA): Common in the fingers and thumb base.
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): Chronic autoimmune condition causing joint inflammation, pain, swelling, and stiffness, most commonly affecting the hands and feet on both sides of the body.
• Tendinopathy or Tendonitis: Irritation of the tendons around the wrist or hand.
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Causing numbness, tingling, or pain in the hand.

Or perhaps your issue it more to do with limited wrist mobility (stiffness) than pain itself.

Regardless of the specific label, our approach to exercise remains largely the same: calm it down, modify the movement, and gradually build strength.

Your Game Plan: Motion is Lotion

The golden rule for joints, especially stiff ones, is that "motion is lotion." Movement helps circulate synovial fluid, which lubricates the joints and keeps them healthy.

Your goal is to continue with your workouts as best you can. We just need to find the right adjustments to make it manageable.

The "Tolerable" Rule

As always, your guide is the word "tolerable." Exercise doesn't need to be 100% pain-free. A little discomfort (e.g., a 2-3 out of 10) is usually okay, as long as it settles down afterward. If it feels tolerable to you, keep going.

The Big Challenge: Push-Ups

Push-ups are fantastic for upper body strength, but they are notoriously tough on wrists. This is because they require putting a lot of weight through a wrist that is bent backwards (extended). Many people in our community struggle with this.

Use these strategies to make them tolerable:

Strategy 1: Change the Angle

The goal here is to get the wrist angle into a more tolerable position, rather than fully extended (bent backward).

• Use Props: As outlined in the video above, you can use rolled/folded towels, a pair of dumbbells (hex-shaped ones don't roll!) or purpose-built push-up handles placed on the floor. This allows you to push with a straight wrist.
• Adjust Your Hand Position: Sometimes turning your hands out or turning them in can make it more comfortable.

Strategy 2: Reduce the Load

The less body weight you are pushing, the less pressure goes through your wrists. Start with an easier version of the push-up and see if your wrists tolerate it better.

Order of difficulty (easiest to hardest):

1. Wall push-up
2. Kitchen bench/countertop push-up
3. Knees on the floor (hands on a couch/chair)
4. Knee push-up on floor
5. Full push-up

Strategy 3: Try Support Gear

Many people find relief using simple wrist wraps or slip-on wrist supports available at most pharmacies and online. These can provide some compression and stability to make the movement comfortable. We don’t recommend a particular brand or type per se, just see what you can find and give it a try.

Strategy 4: Substitute the Exercise

If you have tried the above strategies and push-ups are still just not tolerable, swap them out. You can still get a great chest and arm workout without bending your wrists back. Here are three excellent substitutes:

Option A: The Bench Press

If you have a workout bench, this is the closest alternative. You can use dumbbells in each hand, or a single heavy weight (e.g. kettlebell, bag) held with both hands. Start with the weight(s) near your chest/armpits, and push straight up towards the ceiling.

Option B: The Floor Press

Don't have a bench? No problem. Lie on your back on the floor (or a bed/couch). Push the weight(s) up towards the ceiling. Your elbows will touch the floor at the bottom of the movement, that’s fine.

Once again you can use dumbbells in each hand, or a single heavy weight (e.g. kettlebell, bag) held with both hands.

Option C: The Seated Incline Press

Sit on a couch/sofa or a sturdy chair and lean back as far as you comfortably can (using pillows for support if needed). Push the weight(s) straight up towards the ceiling. The further you lean back, the more this mimics a push-up motion. As you can see in the picture, it’s a bit tricky to do on a standard chair as you run out of room for your bottom, so a couch/sofa works best for this version. Once again you can use dumbbells in each hand, or a single heavy weight (e.g. kettlebell, bag) held with both hands.

The Other Challenge: Planks

Like push-ups, planks can be hard on wrists/hands. The fix here is simple:

Get off your hands and onto your elbows.

Performing a plank on your forearms removes the wrist joint from the equation entirely.

Hand Osteoarthritis (OA)

If you have hand OA, you might fear that using your hands will wear the joints out faster. The opposite is true! Like nearly every condition affecting the human body, hand OA benefits from exercise. Strong muscles support sore joints.

We recommend continuing with as much general exercise as you can manage using the modifications above. In addition, specific hand exercises can be very useful to encourage movement and build specific grip strength.

For a deeper dive into this, please read our blog:

Getting a Grip of Hand Osteoarthritis

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is another culprit for hand and wrist issues. It happens when the median nerve is compressed as it travels through the wrist, often leading to distinct sensations.

Symptoms usually come on gradually and can include:

• Numbness and tingling (pins and needles), typically in the thumb, index and middle fingers.
• Pain that travels up the forearm.
• "Shock-like" sensations in the hand and fingers.
• Weakness or reduced coordination in the hand (dropping things more easily).

Can I still exercise with CTS?

Yes, absolutely. In fact, maintaining general fitness is important. However, CTS can be aggravated by positions where the wrist is bent heavily (like a standard push-up). Try using the strategies outlined in the Push-Ups section above.

For a deeper understanding of this condition, check out our blog:

Light at the end of the tunnel

When to See a Professional

While most hand and wrist pain can be managed with modification, you should seek an in-person assessment from a doctor or physiotherapist if you have:

• A specific recent injury (a fall onto the hand, a sudden twist).
• Significant swelling, redness, or heat.
• Numbness, tingling or pins and needles in the hand or fingers.
• Severe pain that stops you from doing basic daily tasks.

The Takeaway

Your hands are designed to move, grasp, and push. Don't let pain stop you from exercising. Use your modifications and keep showing up!