7 Thumb Joint (CMC) Stretches & Exercises

The joint at the base of your thumb that goes into your wrist, the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint, is a very common place for arthritis to form. These thumb stretches and exercises should help relieve the pain.

Start off with a simple big opening and closing of your hand, but bend your thumb in first to get an extra stretch.

Next, moving your thumb in all the directions can help loosen up the joint. Flexion, abduction, and adduction are the main movements.

Then finger taps help with stretching and strengthening the thumb. Making links with your fingers and using them to pull on each other also help with strengthening.

Finally, stabilizing the CMC joint to move the other thumb joints will help with overall movement.

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