Advanced Wrist and Hand Tendon Repair Rehabilitation

Program Overview This is an advanced, 13-week rehabilitation program for recovery after wrist and hand tendon repair. It combines guided exercise, hands-on therapy, splinting, and selected therapy modalities to help you regain motion, strength, and fine motor control safely.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program is for people recovering from wrist and hand tendon repair who have been cleared for advanced rehabilitation and have no active inflammation. The goal is to restore wrist and hand movement, rebuild grip and finger strength, improve coordination, and return you to daily tasks and meaningful activity with confidence.

Before You Start Begin only after your surgeon or rehabilitation clinician confirms you are ready. Have your wrist splint fitted and checked, and review every exercise with your therapist. Report any wounds, swelling, numbness, or new symptoms before starting each session, and use only the equipment your clinician approves.

Safety Notes and When to Stop Do not exercise during acute inflammation. Stop if pain increases, if swelling or numbness worsens, or if you feel tingling in the thumb, index, or middle finger. Keep your spine in a neutral position and avoid overloading the repaired side. Contact your clinician promptly for increasing pain, wound changes, fever, or loss of movement.

Weekly Structure Plan for two sessions each week, about 20 minutes per session, for 13 weeks. Each session uses therapy putty, a balance board, and your wrist splint. The program moves through protection, early protected motion, progressive motion, and strengthening phases, with each phase building on the last.

How the Plan Is Organized The 13 weeks are divided into phases that match your healing. Early weeks focus on protection and gentle motion. Middle weeks add controlled wrist and finger movement. Later weeks emphasize strength, coordination, and functional tasks. Move forward only when your clinician confirms you meet the phase criteria.

What a Typical Session Looks Like A steady routine helps your hand and wrist adapt. Warm-up is gentle, the main work targets your current phase, and cool-down calms the tissues. Your therapist may add hands-on joint mobilization, muscle re-education, ultrasound, or splint checks as appropriate for your stage.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Begin with gentle finger and wrist movements and light putty squeezes. The main work includes tendon glides, wrist curls and extensions, and balance-board work for control, all within your phase limits. Cool down with slow stretching and light putty play, then check your splint fit and skin.

Tracking Progress Keep a simple log of pain, swelling, movement, and what you could do each session. Your clinician will use outcome measures such as grip dynamometry, pegboard tests, wrist range of motion, and hand questionnaires to see change over time and guide adjustments.

How Progression Works Progression criteria are checkpoints, not deadlines. Your clinician decides when you move between phases based on healing, comfort, movement quality, and test results. Outcome measures show your trajectory, while the criteria confirm it is safe to add load or motion.

Recovery and Self-Care Rest between sessions, elevate when swollen, and wear your splint as directed. Keep the skin clean and dry under the splint, and avoid prolonged forceful gripping. Sleep and nutrition support healing, and gentle movement between sessions helps maintain circulation without overloading the repair.

Pain Management and Red Flags Mild soreness that settles with rest is common; sharp or rising pain is not. Avoid medication decisions on your own and follow your clinician's advice. Seek urgent care for fever, spreading redness, wound drainage, sudden loss of movement, or new persistent numbness.