Intermediate Wrist and Hand Tendon Repair Program

Program Overview This is a four-week, intermediate-level rehabilitation guide for someone recovering from a wrist and hand tendon repair. It combines supervised therapy methods with simple home exercises using a pull-up bar and a tennis ball, and is designed to be followed alongside your care team.

Who This Program Is For and Its Goal This program suits people past the earliest protected-healing stage of a wrist or hand tendon repair who can begin gentle, guided motion and light strengthening. Its goal is to safely restore wrist and hand movement, rebuild grip and pinch strength, and return you to everyday activities without strain.

Before You Start Begin only after your surgeon or therapist confirms your wound has healed, your splint plan is set, and early protected movement is safe for you. This program is not for someone with a recent, unhealed fracture. Always have a clinician supervise or check in on your progress, especially before advancing phases.

Safety Notes, Contraindications, and When to Stop Do not push through sharp pain, and stop if you notice new or worsening numbness, tingling, swelling, warmth, redness, or a fever, or if you cannot move your fingers as usual. These can signal nerve pressure or infection. Call your clinician right away if any of these appear, or if pain increases instead of settling.

Weekly Structure You will do four sessions per week, about sixty minutes each, for four weeks. Each week builds on the last, moving from gentle protected motion toward more active movement and light strengthening, using your wrist splint, a tennis ball, and a pull-up bar as tools for support and resistance.

How the Four Weeks Are Organized The plan moves through four phases in plain terms. Week one focuses on early protected motion within comfort. Week two adds progressive motion and active tendon gliding. Week three advances range of motion and light strength. Week four builds functional strength and grip, all while avoiding overloading and keeping good posture.

What a Typical Session Looks Like Each session follows a warm-up, main work, and cool-down pattern. Your therapist may apply ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and gentle manual therapy, then guide tendon gliding and wrist isometrics. The tennis ball supports grip work and the pull-up bar is used only for light, supported loading as your therapist directs.

Warm-Up, Main Work, and Cool-Down Start with gentle finger and wrist movement and a light warm-up before any loading. The main work includes guided tendon gliding, wrist isometrics, and light grip squeezes with the tennis ball, plus supported holds on the pull-up bar only when cleared. Cool down with easy motion and elevation, keeping your wrist neutral and spine supported.

Tracking Progress Your clinician will track grip and pinch strength, wrist range of motion, and how your hand feels during daily tasks. Questionnaires about hand function and nerve symptoms help show change over time. Note swelling, pain, and any numbness between visits so adjustments can be made safely.

How Progression and Outcome Measures Work You move to the next phase only when your clinician confirms you meet that week's comfort and movement goals, such as pain-free motion and improving strength. Outcome measures like grip, pinch, and range-of-motion tests, plus hand-function questionnaires, guide these decisions and keep progress safe and steady.

Recovery and Self-Care Rest, elevate your hand when swollen, and wear your neutral wrist splint as advised to protect the repair. Keep the skin clean and dry, follow your therapist's home exercise plan, and avoid heavy lifting or gripping until cleared. Consistency with gentle movement helps prevent stiffness.

Pain Management Cautions and Red Flags Use ice or elevation for swelling as your clinician advises, and avoid overloading the wrist. Seek urgent care for spreading redness, fever, worsening numbness, sudden severe pain, or inability to move the fingers. These signs need prompt review rather than continuing exercises on your own.