How to Improve Your Dexterity

Are you wanting to improve your dexterity? There are many reasons that people choose to improve their dexterity. Perhaps you’re a musician who is having a hard time developing left-hand finger dexterity, or may you just want to improve your dexterity because you can!

No matter the reason, hand strength, and flexibility are a very important part of life. Sometimes, relying on muscles that are rarely used can be extremely challenging. However, you can easily improve your dexterity and increase your hand strength by employing different techniques and using ergonomic keyboards to get the best out of them.

An ergonomic keyboard can help you avoid injuries, reduce cramping, and ease pain while you improve your dexterity. Here are some ways that you can improve your dexterity.

Stretches

It can be important, especially if you’re already feeling discomfort with your hands and wrists, to do some stretches and dexterity warm ups before tasks. You must take your time with these exercises, and try not to rush through.

Stretching your finger muscles and joints will allow you to get the best out of your finger dexterity and range of motion. All of these exercises are easy for you to do to help you maintain flexibility and improve dexterity. These exercises can help:

• Finger stretches– Extend your fingers and spread them out from your palm as far as they can possibly go. Hold this stretch for roughly five seconds and then relax your hand back into a loose first. From there, do this ten times. You can also vary this exercise by squeezing your fingers into a tight first after the stretch is complete.
• Wrist stretch– While holding your fingers out extended, gently rotate your wrists counterclockwise and clockwise. Do this for ten repetitions.
• Wrist and forearm stretch– Bring both of your palms together in front of your body, they should look like praying hands. Then slowly extend your elbows out. With your fingers pointing up, then position them down as far as you possibly can and hold the stretch for a count of five. From there, report the process five more times.
• Shoulder stretches– With your arms down by your side, gently roll your shoulders forward three times backward and then three times forward. You can also bring your right arm across your chest vertically. From there, you need to hold the stretch with your left arm for a count of five. Repeat with your left arm.

Try to perform these stretches every 20-30 minutes when you’re using your hands. Make sure to pay close attention to the finger ones in order to keep your blood flowing to your muscles and joints to prevent sprains or cramping.

Finger and Hand Exercises

All of the tips below will help you improve your reach and extend your dexterity. The best news is that many of these exercises can be practiced from the comfort of your home with no worries at all. Let’s take a look.

• Practice apps– There are a lot of apps out there that can help you improve your dexterity. Whether they are musical apps for guitar or apps that have a range of activities to improve your dexterity, there is something for absolutely everyone. Better yet, most of them are free or very cheap.
• Pencil reach– This excellent hand exercise can help you increase your pinky strength and dexterity at the same time. Using a regular pen or pencil, grip it in your left hand or your right hand using just your fingertips. From there, gradually walk your pinky finger away from the others as far as you can. Then, slowly walk your finger back again.
• Solidify your form– Many people often forget this aspect when you’re concentrating on finger dexterity. However, it is perhaps one of the most important parts. Understand that the way you hold your shoulder, back, and arm will greatly influence your abilities. It may throw off your dexterity.
• Be patient– Remember, learning new things, especially new techniques can be very challenging. It takes a whole lot of time to build muscle memory and you will need to understand that you won’t miraculously be gifted with amazing aptitude overnight or in a small amount of time. However, if you continue to perform your stretches and hand exercises diligently, your determination will definitely pay off.

More on Stretching Your Wrists Out

Many people, most often women, will have wrist pain while they exercise. This is especially true with lifting heavy objects and yoga. Sometimes, people can even feel this pain when they are lifting their children up.

The wrist extending stretch can help support you when you must perform these tasks and they can also help to ease discomfort. To complete this exercise, you need to extend your right arm in front of you with your palm facing toward the floor.

From there, bend your wrist while pointing the tips of your fingers toward the floor. Then, with your left hand, bend your wrist down toward you until you feel a comfortable yet strenuous stretch in your forearm. Hold this position for at least 15 to 30 seconds. You then need to switch to your left arm and repeat two to four times.

These helpful hand exercises are an excellent way to help you improve your dexterity and flexibility. If you are doing these hand exercises and they are not helping, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor for assistance. If you feel any pain while improving your dexterity, you should contact your doctor.

Ergonomic Keyboards

Ergonomic keyboards are an excellent way to improve your dexterity. Not only that, but they provide the comfort you need when your muscles are learning new patterns. These little devices can yield absolutely massive results.

These ergonomic keyboards not only help with dexterity, but they also create more productive individuals by supporting individual bodies and working styles.

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking to improve your dexterity, all of the tips above can help you out!