02. Upper Extremity Nerve Glides

With neck, shoulder or arm pain, ensuring your nerves are moving well can be very helpful in reducing pain. Not only do nerve glides help with nerve flexibility and their ability to slide and glide over tissues, it helps to improve circulation to the nerve which facilitates healing inflamed nerve tissue.

Instructions:

These can be performed with 1 arm or both arms at a time. If standing is uncomfortable, perform laying down on your back. Be careful to not stretch into pain and only move into a mild degree of stretch sensation. 

Option 1 (Median nerve focused)

1. Stand, extend your arms and raise them towards your head to about 60 degrees while keeping them within the plane of your side body.
2. Face your palm towards the ceiling with your fingers as open as you can. 
3. Bend your hand towards the ground keeping your hand open. You should feel a stretch in your arm. If you don't, raise your arm higher and/or move them backwards, slightly behind your body. Your right and left may have different angles due to different levels of tension in them.
4. Then bring your wrist and hand back to a straight position.
5. If standing is too difficult or creates discomfort, perform laying down.
6. Perform 15 repetitions of bending and straightening your wrist, 2 sets, 2-3x day, for 3-7 days or as needed. Optionally, use your testing technique to determine your optimal frequency and duration at this time. 

Option 2 (Radial nerve focused)

1. Stand, extend your arms and raise them towards your head about 60 degrees while keeping them within the plane of your side body.
2. Make a fist and tuck your thumbs under your fingers. 
3. Rotate your wrists inwards and then flex your wrists. You should feel a stretch in your arms. If you don't, raise your arm higher and/or move them backwards, slightly behind your body. 
4. Then, keeping your forearms rotated, bend your wrists back.
5. Perform 15 repetitions of bending and straightening your wrists (either one at a time or at the same time), 2 sets, 2-3x day for 3-7 days or as needed. Optionally, use your testing technique to determine your optimal frequency and duration at this time. 

Option 3 (Ulnar nerve focused)

1. Stand, raise your hands with your palms up to the sky and place your fingers on the side of your face so that your palms lay flat on your cheeks. Your pinky fingers should not be behind your jaw bone. 
2. Then lift your hands/fingers off your face a few inches.
3. Move your hands/fingers back onto your face. 
4. Repeat this movement 15x for both or 15x for each side, 2 sets, 2-3x day, for 3-7 days or as needed. Optionally, use your testing technique to determine your optimal frequency and duration at this time.