Five wrist exercises you didn’t know you needed to reduce the damage of your desk job

More people than ever before are aware of the ability of strength and mobility training to combat the aches and pains that develop when you sit at a computer all-day. But even so, there are a parts areas of the body that tend to get overlooked, like the wrists.

Wrists play a crucial role in daily life and even movements in the gym, but they don't seem to receive enough attention or care. Wrist mobility is particularly important for people working desk jobs or on a laptop all day as the wrist joint is likely to suffer from static or repetitive movements, which can lead to stiffness.

That's why I stopped scrolling when I saw this short routine posted on Instagram Reels to mobilize the wrists from yoga teacher Reyna Cohan.

There are five easy movements to follow along with. They're easy to remember so you can add them into your day whenever's convenient.

The benefits of wrist mobility for desk workers

Keen to learn more about the impact desk work can have on the health of my wrists and what kind of impact stretches like these can have, I spoke to physiotherapist and founder of Complete Pilates, Helen O'Leary.

"Working at a desk can impact your wrists partly due to the position you maintain all day," says O'Leary. "Typically people report problems like carpal tunnel syndrome or de quervain’s tendinopathy. They tend to happen due to overuse and repetitive movements, which is common when typing, using the mouse or writing.

"Doing wrist stretches often simply gives your wrists a break from the static position they are in when you are working [...] which can help ease the ache around the area. These stretches can help to improve flexibility and act preventively to ease low-level pain."

Plus, wrist mobility exercises like these can help to prevent any long-term damage caused by your desk job. "Strengthening your wrists is a great way of helping to prevent any injury," O'Leary says. "It will give you more resilience around the area and can help improve any stiffness that you feel."

As well as wrist exercises, it's also worth incorporating some of the best hip stretches into your routine if you're a desk job worker, as this is another area of the body that is negatively impacted by sustained periods of sitting.