Wrist radial and ulnar deviation moves your hand side to side at the wrist: toward the thumb side (radial deviation) and toward the little finger side (ulnar deviation). You sit at a table with your palms flat on it and slide your hands from side to side without lifting them. It often comes early in rehab after a wrist fracture, once the cast is off and the wrist has gone stiff.

How to do the wrist radial and ulnar deviation

Sit upright at a table, close enough that your elbows stay near your sides.
Rest your hands flat on the table near its edge, palms down. Keep the fingers straight but relaxed, each hand in line with its forearm. In the video only the hands rest on the table. Resting your forearms on it as well makes them easier to keep still.
Keeping your palm on the table, slide your hand sideways toward your thumb. Only the hand moves. The forearm stays where it is.
Come back to the middle, then slide your hand the other way, toward your little finger.
Keep moving side to side at a slow, even pace. The video shows both hands working together, and you can also do one hand at a time.

What you should feel

Light work and a gentle stretch on either side of the wrist. The hand usually moves less far toward the thumb than toward the little finger, so do not force it to match.

Common mistakes

Swinging the forearm or elbow to move the hand, instead of bending at the wrist.
Lifting the palm off the table or rolling the hand onto its side.
Curling the fingers or pressing down hard into the table.
Pushing into pain at the end of the movement.

How often

Many programs start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 slow movements each way, 1 to 3 times a day. Your physio will adjust this for you.

Stop and check with your physio if

Sharp pain on the thumb side or the little finger side of the wrist.
Painful clicking or clunking in the wrist.
Pins and needles or numbness in your hand or 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.
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 only mentions one hand moving toward the thumb and back to the middle. In the video both hands slide both ways, so the steps copy the video. If your hands stick to the table, a thin cloth or a sheet of paper under each hand helps them glide.

If this movement brings on pain on either side of the wrist, stop. Have it checked by your physio or doctor before you carry on. 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. The up and down direction is covered in wrist flexion and extension.

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.

Wrist radial and ulnar deviation