Isometric ulnar deviation works the muscles that bend your wrist sideways toward the little finger (ulnar deviation), without the wrist actually moving. With your forearm and hand flat on a table, palm down, you rest your other hand on top and push the working hand toward the little finger side while the top hand holds it in place. Physios tend to bring it in early in wrist rehab, before any sideways lifting with a weight.

How to do the isometric ulnar deviation

Sit at a table and rest the forearm and hand of the side you are working on it, palm down.
Rest your other hand across the back of the working hand, with its fingers curled over the little finger edge, as in the video. Those fingers are the block you push against.
Try to bend the wrist sideways toward your little finger, as if sliding the hand across the table. The top hand resists so the working hand does not move.
Build the effort up slowly, then hold it steady for a few seconds while you breathe normally.
Ease off gradually, relax, then repeat.

What you should feel

Steady work along the little finger side of the forearm, between the wrist and the elbow. The wrist joint itself should stay comfortable.

Common mistakes

Allowing the hand to slide, which means the top hand is not resisting enough.
Tipping the wrist up or down instead of pushing straight sideways.
Rolling the forearm onto its side or lifting the elbow to help.
Going straight to a hard effort instead of building up.

How often

Many programs begin with 5 to 10 holds lasting 5 to 10 seconds, once or twice a day, starting gently. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain on the little finger side of the wrist, or a painful click there.
Tingling or numbness in your hand or fingers, especially the ring and little fingers. If one side of your face or body suddenly goes numb or weak, or your speech becomes slurred or muddled, call emergency services, even if it goes away.
Wrist pain that has built up by the evening or is worse the next morning.
Since the fracture or cast, the hand is getting more painful rather than less, the skin becomes very sensitive to light touch, or the hand changes color, temperature, swelling or sweating compared with the other one, or looks shiny. See your doctor or physio as soon as you can, within a few days at most, as this can be complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and early treatment may help.

From the clinic

Pain on the little finger side of the wrist has several possible causes, including a strain of the cartilage and ligaments there (the triangular fibrocartilage complex, or TFCC). If that is where your pain sits, ask your physio before you add pushes in this direction. If you have high blood pressure, breathe steadily through every hold and never hold your breath.

After a broken wrist, hand or forearm, or surgery on any of them such as a tendon repair, start only when your doctor, surgeon, physio or hand therapist says the bone or repair is ready for this, and follow their plan for how much to do. Sliding the hand side to side with no resistance is covered in wrist radial and ulnar deviation, and the hold toward the thumb is isometric radial deviation. Once these holds are easy, wrist ulnar deviation with a dumbbell adds movement against a light weight.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Isometric ulnar deviation