hi all (working out people),

in the past I've had some quite serious problems with my forearms, not CTS (carpal tunnel syndrome) but similar symptoms and rather unpleasant pain from repetitive actions (working on computer, mostly mouse handling - can't be helped much, it's what I do for work)

I've completed some physiotherapy recently (that helped) and was told to strenghten my forearms to make the recurrence of this less likely

problem is, I don't know how to start... I've tried some exercises (like squeezing of a small ball or push-ups on fists) but I just don't know how many or how often to do it, so I ended up exercising one day and being unable to continue for the next week because the pain came back

does anyone have an experience with this and perhaps can advise a "plan" how to start building up the muscles REAL slowly?

PS: sorry if I used some stupid terms, I don't know the proper ones in English :)

Wrist curl and wrist extensions. Plan on small weights. I find extensions difficult and my smallest set of dumbbells are just for them.

I'm not sure there's going to be a good way for you to isolate the forearms without using your wrists and hand muscles which could just continue to aggravate your issue. You're positive you don't have CTS? CTS can be caused by problems in the wrists and the elbows, so it could be either of those areas. How about arthritis, have you been checked for that?

In any case, most guys do not specifically work out their forearms (excluding athletes for certain sports or body builders). The forearms tend to get worked out enough on their own through other exercises. An example of a good forearm exercise would be to kneel down and lay your arms over a bench with palms upright while holding a dumbbell in each hand and then just basically lift (or pull in, however you want to look at it) the dumbbells with your wrists while keeping your arms stationary on the bench. But again, this may only make your wrist problems worse. Edit: Strixo beat me to it; I was attempting to describe wrist curls.

If you're wanting to do he hand-squeezing type exercises with a stress ball type thing, then I wouldn't have a set routine for that. What I mean by that is, I wouldn't say "Okay, I'm going to do 4 sets of 25 reps" and that's your workout for the day. I would just pick the ball up and do it every so often throughout the day, never doing too many reps at once.

Your best bet though is obviously going to be spending less time on the computer, or at the very least, taking breaks from the computer more often.

Are you able to just do normal workouts? You may want to consider just lifting weights normally and allow the forearms to strengthen over time that way. I'll ask a friend of mine as soon as I can if he has any ideas for you. He's a personal trainer (not a physical therapist, though) so he may have an idea or two. I'll let you know what he says.

the thing is, it's not muscle pain, it's tendons pain :( when I just work now with a computer I'm fine, but I won't be soon, there will be some excessive work amount or something and the pain will come back, so I want to prevent it by strengthening my forearms... some app might be good for that, I'll check it out...

ok, this seems good :)

but can you estimate how many/how often? I'd start with something worth 1 kg for each hand... the thing is, I can't experiment much, if I do too little nothing will happen, if I do too much I'll "disable" myself for some time and will have to start from scratch :( yep, I've been to a neurologist and another doctor and they both told me it's not CTS, it's just overworked and I should rest more... which I try to do but sometimes it can't be helped (and getting my forearms more muscle should help me overcome these periods of time) thanks a lot, I'll really appreciate it!

Have you considered doing a fullbody workout instead of an isolated training? A good sport/workout that tends to put less stress on the joints is swimming. Alternatively you could try rowing, which will also strenghten your lower arms.

If you do decide to go with a weight training ( like arm curls) start with lower weights and see how many repetitions you can do while in complete controll of your movements (go slow, not fast), make sure to never to fully extent your joints (to avoid injury in the joint), and stop right away if you feel any pain (this goes for any sport/workout when your joints are involved)! Also, don't worry too much about how many repetitions or how much weight you can do/lift, but rather focus on doing the technique correct in the beginning.

My best advise however is to ask your doctor about specific sports and/or excesises he recommends and about those he does not reccomend you to do, considering your specific health issues!

^^^Seems like sound advice. Maybe there are some bodyweight exercises that will include forearms? Couldn't really say for fear of giving bad advice. FWIW, I use dumbbells for upper body 2-3x/week, and include 2-3 sets of wrist curl/extensions. I do higher reps and concentrate on form. I don't push nearly as hard as I do with bicep curls or military presses and the like. YMMV.

Also check out 'grippers', or 'exerciser rings' or whatever they're called? Never tried them. Caveat emptor.

Are you feeling it centering from your middle forearm, as though you turned it upwards, just before the elbow?

If so, It's tendons, and you want to be careful of muscular solutions. Rest is key, I am now ambidextrous with mouse usage for this reason. Use the other hand for the mouse, it doesn't take long to pick that up.

Then on, try to keep whatever excercises you do to be broad, I find Golf helps (not as good for tendons though, as wrists). Don't focus on building the specific tendon, just do general activity that uses it. In your case, perhaps tennis, or squash.

I know how I keep my forearms in excellent shape!

...

Okay, sorry, couldn't resist, carry on:)

You switch hit to avoid Popeye syndrome?

Captains of Crush handgrippers. $30 a set, 4-5 incremental levels, done 2-3 days a.week, they will strengthen your forearms. Each set comes.with a workout guide. Since these focus on strengthening, you will not find they will irritate your CTS.

DO NOT get the walmart cheapies, they have nowhere.near the resistance you need. Start with the "CoC Guide", or "CoC Sport". As long as you have general function in both wrists/forearms, these will do you fine. They are typically done 2-3 times per week MAXIMUM, with 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps. This is plenty, trust me.

http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Main/captainsofcrush.html

If you go to a.gym, or own weights, try VERY LIGHT wrist curls. Grab a 5-10 pound dumbell, lay your right forearm on your right knee while sitting, curl your fingers together, and then curl your wrist up, hold for a one count. Do this 8-10 times, of until you feel *any* fatigue in the wrist or forearm, and then switch arms. Ideally, you should be able to do 12-14 repetitions without tiring or feeling *any* pain. If you cannot, lower the weight, or take a rest for a few days.

Well, to strengthen your forearms, hanging and pushing is really enough for most folks. Since you've got some irritation in the area already, you probably don't want to hang with your body right now, but if you can find something which is short enough that you can touch the ground, you can use your legs for assistance. And make sure to keep your shoulders tight as doing what's basically a reverse shrug and pull down with your shoulders.

And you can also do some pushups against the wall. The closer your feet are to the wall, the easier the exercise is.

And lastly, do a few of those pushups on your fingers, it's probably the best way of keeping the hands balanced in terms of muscle.

thank you all for great suggestions!

the nurse at physiotherapy mentioned something about starting with flexors, so I guess the handgrippers should do the trick

thanks to you I know now that I should start easy, approximately 3-4 times per week, but can someone guess how many per day?

for example 10 squeezes, 5 times, 10 minutes between each of those 5?

or is it too little?

thanks!

I wouldn't get so caugh up with the reps and intervals. As long as you do it regulary, with some rest days in between.

If you got access to gym best way to strengthen forearms is with deadlift. I wouldn't recommend doing isolation moves simply because if you lift weights you might as well do proper lifts. IE compound excercises.

If the pain is really bad there is supplement you can take for it. Called Cissus. All natural, but tastes horrible. Something like this:
http://www.myprotein.com/uk/products/mega_cissus
It won't magical heal the tendom, but it reliefs the pain.