Do you know who may have more finger and wrist injuries than musicians? Gymnasts. The culture around gymnastics is more exercise-centric than music, so it makes sense that they’ve developed and practiced exercises to keep their finger and wrists healthy.
The first knuckle raise is one exercise that I’m not sure has made it into musician’s communities, but that I think may be very helpful for those wrist and finger flexor muscles that tend to get so tight. You can watch the video, but here’s a quick description.
Get down on your hands and knees with your palms flat on the ground (if this already hurts your wrists, stand up and put your palms flat on a wall. Everything else is the same).
Position your shoulders right over your hands. Lift your thumbs off the ground a little. Next push your palms up off the ground while keeping your entire finger in contact with the floor. If you’re tight, you won’t lift too high up. That’s ok. Don’t force anything. Pause and lower down slowly.
Summary
Purpose: Wrist and finger flexor mobility
Tempo: 1-2 seconds up. 3-4 seconds down.
Perform 1-3 rounds of 10-15 repetitions 3-7 days per week
Tip: Go gently. As a musician there’s a good chance you are tight here
If it’s too hard: Try doing this standing with your hands on the wall