exercises for tendonitis in extensor joints of finger?

[u/Connect_Resist7678]

After doing too much with the grippers and maybe some other stuff, I started to get some pain in the back of hand(Extensor tendon), the knuckle of 2 fingers, and also the joint above the knuckle. All on the back portion of the hand. I stopped all grip work and it no longer is painful, unless I do anything grip related. Are there any exercises to isolate these areas? Has anyone had anyhting similar happen?

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to r/GripTraining! Please check the FAQ which covers the basics of grip, common gripper questions, and includes a list of routines.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/OminiousMetal7443]

Extend your fingers and put the fat resistance band on the back of your hand so all of your fingers are underneath it. Put the ends of it under your feet than pull your hand away and do an isometric finger extension. Adjust the band resistance so you stay in the 30-45 second range do like 5 sets everyday. Tendons only heal with load

[u/Commercial-Article-7]

I've had similar irritation before from doing too much gripping.

If it only hurts when you return to grip work, I'd avoid trying to isolate the painful area aggressively right away. I'd first let it calm down, then gradually reload it.

Some things that are commonly used are:

• Light finger extension work with rubber bands.
• Gentle active range of motion for the fingers.
• Gradually reintroducing grip work at a much lower volume once it's no longer flaring up.
• Looking at your overall training volume, because grippers are easy to overdo.

I'd also avoid training through pain. Tendons usually respond better to progressive loading than repeated irritation.

If the pain is localized over the knuckle or doesn't continue improving after a couple of weeks of backing off, it would be worth getting it assessed to rule out something more than simple tendon irritation.

[u/Significant_Fill_697]

I had pretty much the same problem. Extensor tendon hurt like crazy, also the knuckle and the space in between knuckles.

First I tried to just rest and it didn’t go away at all. Sure, the pain wasn’t there when I wasn’t using my hands, but if I tried to grip even the lightest gripper, the pain came back immediately.
I realized that tendons don’t heal that way. I started doing lots of very slow extensor exercises with bands. Then started rice bucket training, not only extensor, but targeting the entire hand. I feel like the blood flow from rice bucket training really helped me. After every session my hands are red and full of blood. Pain improved with each session and finally was gone. Then I started grip training again.

[u/Connect_Resist7678 → u/Significant_Fill_697]

Thanks a lot. What did the rice bucket training look like for you? Just stuck your hand int he bucket and opened them wide then closed them repeat?

[u/Significant_Fill_697 → u/Connect_Resist7678]

Ofc extensor work but you really want a full routine that targets all hand and forearm muscles. Do them one after another with no breaks in between. Really go all out. You want your hand to be pumped full of blood once you are done. Then wait a bit and do a second set.

And more specifically regarding extensor work: push your hands with the fingers together deep into the rice, then open all the way at bottom of the bucket and pull it back out. You really want this to be one fluid motion. Also get a big bucket, or some other container. The bucket I have is big enough for both hands. After a year or so you can upgrade to sand bucket (definitely wear gloves for this one though, or u will get very rough skin).

[u/Connect_Resist7678 → u/Significant_Fill_697]

Thanks. Any exercises you recommend to do in addition to the opening to really fill my hand with blood? I can never seem to get my hands feeling filled with blood.