Hand health: strengthen your digits daily with these easy exercises: the only time most people consider the fitness of their hands is when they've experienced the pain of arthritis or the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome. Pain prevention must begin now!

When trying to improve hand health, you need to concentrate on two areas. First, you increase your range of motion. The more you can move your joints, the less pain you'll experience. Second, you increase the strength of your hand muscles. Stronger muscles perform better and take pressure off joints.

The hand contains two major sets of muscles: intrinsic and extrinsic. The intrinsic muscles are connected to your pinky (little finger) and thumb. They also control movement at the base of your hand.

The extrinsic hand muscles run all the way to the forearm and allow your fingers to bend and straighten. Increasing the fitness of these two muscle groups will take the stress off painful joints in arthritis sufferers and decrease the pressure on the tendons by supporting and strengthening the muscles in the wrist.

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The intensity of each exercise largely depends on your physical state. If you're not feeling pain in the joints, hold each stretch for 30 to 60 seconds (or longer depending on your hand's fitness level). If your joints are slightly swollen, 15 to 30 seconds is sufficient. If your joints are swollen and painful, stay between 5 to 15 seconds. The important thing is to persevere. Try for at least five repetitions of each stretch.

Finger Split

The first exercise is fairly gentle and increases the range of motion in both the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles. Additionally, it will increase the range of motion in each of the finger joints. It's called the "finger split."

Place your thumb and index finger on a flat surface. Slowly start separating them. Keep going until you feel the stretch from the fingertip all the way through the tip of your thumb. Repeat this stretch ten times. Then, separate your thumb and middle finger with your index finger relaxed in between. Continue until you've stretched all your fingers.

Split Twists

Once the finger splits can be done comfortably, it's time to increase the stretching of the finger joints and the extrinsic muscles with an exercise called "split twists." Carpal tunnel sufferers will find this especially beneficial, as the irritated wrist tendons will enjoy a good, relaxing stretch.

Perform the finger split as instructed above, beginning with the thumb and index finger. Once you can't separate them any further, slowly twist the hand so that the index finger's knuckle is trying to also touch the flat surface. You'll feel the stretch all through your hand, through your wrist, and down into your forearm. Again, this should be practiced with each finger.

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Finger Lifts

The final basic exercise, "finger lifts," can be incorporated either before or after you graduate to the "split twists" exercise. With your palm resting on a flat surface with fingers spread, lift your fingers up off the surface, and then slowly bring them together. Do this several times. Then, lower your fingers to the surface and allow them to lift your palm up (like you're doing finger push-ups). This will strengthen both the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles, as well as the wrist tendons.

As you get better at performing the finger splits, you'll find that the table stops you from going further into a stretch. Initially, this prevented you from overdoing the stretch and hurting yourself. But now your fingers and joints are more flexible, so it's time to go further.

Advanced Finger Split

To perform an advanced "finger split," spread apart your thumb and index finger as far as possible. With your other hand, gently push the fingers farther apart. Do this until you feel a good stretch. Once you've held the stretch for your normal count, try and bring your stretched fingers together with your other hand providing resistance. While only one hand will be getting stretched at a time, both will be strengthened by this exercise.

Prayer Stretch

For the next exercise, place your hands together in front of you like you are praying with your elbows straight out to the side. Without moving your elbows, slowly bring your hands (still in the "prayer" position) straight down, palms together.

When you feel the palms starting to pull apart, bring your hands up slightly until the palms touch again. Take it very slowly. Your ultimate goal is to have your wrists move to below your elbows with your palms still touching. Once you've accomplished this, rotate your praying hands inward toward your chest and then outward away from your chest. Each of these three actions constitutes a separate stretch and gets its own count.

Grabbing Air

The final exercise is called "grabbing air." At first, it may seem overly simple, but these movements require flexibility in all the hand joints, as well as muscle strength and endurance.

Start by making a fist. Tighten your hand as much as you can without pain. Hold it for your own personal counting level.

Without releasing the tension in your hand muscles, slowly extend the fingers, keeping them bent at the middle knuckles (like you're making a claw). Even slower than the previous movement, spread your bent fingers as far as you can stretch them. Then reverse the entire routine and return to the fist. This counts as a single repetition.

There are many ways to integrate these exercises into your life. Some people continue with the basic moves until they can abandon them for the more advanced ones. Others treat all the exercises as equally valuable. Just make a conscious effort to include these exercises as a regular part of your daily routine.

Science teacher C. M. Haven's favorite finger exercise is writing helpful health articles from Brooklyn, New York. He says there are three loves in his life: his wife, his cat, and the Lord.