Isometric wrist flexion works the muscles on the palm side of your forearm that bend the wrist forward (wrist flexors), without the wrist moving. You sit with the working palm facing up and your other hand resting across it, then try to curl the working hand up while the top hand holds it still. Physios often start here when moving the wrist against a weight is still too sore, for example with pain on the inner side of the elbow (golfer's elbow) or early in rehab after a wrist or forearm injury.

How to do the isometric wrist flexion

Sit upright on a chair, both feet on the floor.
Bend the elbow of the arm you are working to about a right angle, upper arm close to your side, and turn that palm to face up. Rest the forearm on the chair's armrest, as in the video, with your wrist and hand just past the end. A table or your thigh works too.
Lay your other hand across the palm of the working hand.
Try to curl the working hand up toward you by bending at the wrist. The top hand pushes back just enough that nothing moves.
Hold that steady press and keep breathing, then ease off slowly and let both hands relax.

What you should feel

Steady effort in the muscles on the palm side of your forearm, just below the inner elbow. It should feel like work, with no sharp pain.

Common mistakes

Letting the wrist actually move, which means one hand is winning. Match the two pushes so the hand stays put.
Pressing so hard that the arm shakes or the elbow hurts. Start gently.
Holding your breath while you push.
Lifting the elbow away from your side or shrugging the shoulder.

How often

Many programs use 5 to 10 holds of about 5 to 10 seconds each, once or twice a day, starting with a gentle press. Your physio will adjust this, including how hard to push.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain at the inner elbow or in the wrist while you press.
Pins and needles or numbness in your hand. 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.
Elbow or wrist pain that is clearly worse later that day or 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

You need nothing but your own hands, so this fits easily into a break at your desk. Begin with a light press you could hold without effort, and build up over the following days only if the elbow and wrist stay settled. If you have high blood pressure, breathe out through each hold rather than straining.

When the holds feel easy and pain free, a common next step is the wrist curl, where the wrist moves against a light weight. 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.

After a broken or dislocated elbow, or elbow surgery such as a tendon repair, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. If you have just hurt your arm and have severe pain, cannot move the elbow or heard a snap, do not exercise it. Go to an urgent care center or emergency department the same day. If the arm looks a different shape or sits at an odd angle, a bone is showing, or your arm or hand tingles, feels numb or turns cold, pale or blue, go to an emergency department straight away or call emergency services, and do not drive yourself.

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 wrist flexion