The tabletop finger press is a hold, not a movement. You sit at a table with your forearms resting on it, bend the fingers of one hand at the big knuckles while keeping the rest of each finger straight, and press those straight fingers down into your other hand, which holds still as a block. It works the small muscles inside the hand that bend the knuckles and keep the fingers straight (lumbricals and interossei). It is often the next step once you can make the tabletop shape easily without any load.

How to do the tabletop finger press

Sit upright on a chair facing a table, with both forearms resting on the tabletop and your hands together in front of you, near the edge.
Make the tabletop shape with the working hand: bend the fingers at the big knuckles and keep the middle and end joints straight.
Rest the straight fingers of the working hand on the thumb and fingers of your other hand, as in the video. The other hand is only a block and does not push.
Press the straight fingers gently down into your other hand, as if bending further at the big knuckles, and hold. Nothing should move. If the fingertips start to curl, ease off until they straighten.
Relax slowly, rest for a moment, then repeat.

What you should feel

Steady work in the palm and between the knuckles. You should feel effort there, never pain.

Common mistakes

Curling the fingertips as you press, which hands the work to the long finger muscles.
Pressing so hard that the hand shakes, or pushing back with the helping hand.
Holding your breath as you press down.
Letting the wrist drop or twist.

How often

Many programs use 5 to 10 holds of about 5 seconds, once or twice a day, starting with a light press. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain in a knuckle or a finger joint, in either hand.
Numbness or tingling anywhere in the fingers or 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.
The knuckles swell, feel hot or stiffen up after the session.
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

The voice guide describes gripping the edge of the table between the straight fingers and the thumb. In the video the hands stay together on the tabletop and the other hand is the block, so the steps follow the video. Gripping a table edge or a thick book the same way works the same muscles if your physio prefers it. Keep the effort light at first. The hold is only doing its job while the fingers stay straight.

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. With hand osteoarthritis at the base of the thumb, the thumb of the helping hand can get sore, so rest the fingers on the side of your index finger instead, or ask your physio how to set it up. With rheumatoid arthritis in the knuckles, check with your physio or hand therapist before you start. If you have high blood pressure, breathe steadily through every hold and never hold your breath.

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.

Tabletop finger press