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Mobility Gentle ~2 min

Thumb IP flexion isolation

Hold the thumb’s base joint still and bend only the tip — a focused glide for the flexor pollicis longus tendon used after thumb tendon repair or stiffness.

Equipment: No special equipment

Rest the hand on a table, palm up, thumb relaxed.

Ready when you are

We'll guide you through 5 short steps — about 28 seconds of guided motion. Pause or stop anytime — nothing is uploaded.

Have ready: No special equipment

Contraindications & stop if…

When not to do this

  • Recent FPL tendon repair without surgeon clearance and protocol
  • Acute thumb fracture before bone-healing milestones

Stop if

  • Sharp pain at the wrist or thumb base
  • Inability to bend the tip after a few gentle reps
  • Audible snapping with pain
How does the hand feel right now?
No painWorst pain

Prefer a quick pacing gate before the timer? Use full guided session — it asks for pain, stiffness, and fatigue in a few taps first (education only, not clearance).

Guided session

Full-screen steps and timer below — same exercise. For vertical reel mode, use the clapper icon next to Save at the top of the page.

Why it helps

Isolating motion at the IP joint encourages the deep thumb flexor (FPL) to glide independently — important for pinch precision and for preventing tendon adhesions after surgery.

What it should feel like

A focused pull at the tip of the thumb. No popping, no sharp pain.

Target area

Thumb (IP joint), FPL tendon

Stop if you notice

  • Sharp pain at the wrist or thumb base
  • Inability to bend the tip after a few gentle reps
  • Audible snapping with pain

Get clearance first if

  • Recent FPL tendon repair without surgeon clearance and protocol
  • Acute thumb fracture before bone-healing milestones

Watch a curated demo

Patient education · Thumb IP flexion isolation
Watch on YouTube

Your practice loop

Pause where you want, then tap A for where the loop starts and B for where it ends. Turn Autoloop off anytime — your A/B times stay saved for this video.

Now 0:00 · Loop 0:00 → end of video

Full video. Native YouTube controls stay in the player frame.
Hand Strengthening Exercises · Virtual Hand Care · verified 2026-04-26Adjacent strengthening routine; use for thumb tip mobility only when cleared for resisted thumb motion.Patient education only — not a replacement for advice from your clinician.

More demos & readings (editorial catalog)

Extra YouTube, PDF, and hospital links gathered for this exercise cluster. The top embed above remains the oEmbed-verified pick when present; treat these as adjacent education — confirm fit with your clinician.

Typical catalog dose: 10 repetitions, gently and without forcing.

Precautions (catalog)

  • Avoid aggressive squeezing if joints are inflamed.
  • Use controlled movement.

  • 5 Minute Hand Strengthening Exercise Routine

    Virtual Hand Care · 2023-08-03

    Uses isometric gripping and finger strengthening work that can complement fist-making practice.

    Better for progression into strengthening once motion improves.

    Catalog ids: fist_making, putty_strengthening

  • How to Strengthen your Hand using Exercise Putty

    Unknown / YouTube · 2016-09-13

    Demonstrates resistance-based hand strengthening with putty.

    Good for resistance training progression.

    Catalog ids: full_grip_putty

  • 25 Hand Exercises For Stroke Recovery

    Saebo · 2018-07-12

    Includes a full grip exercise using putty.

    Useful for grip development and hand opening/closing control.

    Catalog ids: full_grip_putty

    Open resource

  • 5 Top Hand Occupational Therapy Exercises

    Excel Rehab & Sport · 2025-06-09

    Includes thumb abduction as a strengthening drill.

    Strength-oriented hand recovery.

    Catalog ids: thumb_abduction

    Open resource

  • Hand Exercises

    Royal United Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · 2023-10-01

    Includes bend-and-straighten finger drills that support fist motion.

    Baseline home exercise for mobility.

    Catalog ids: fist_making

    Open resource

  • Hand exercises for people with arthritis

    Mayo Clinic · 2026-02-04

    Shows hand and thumb mobility drills for arthritis management.

    Useful for joint flexibility and pain-friendly motion.

    Catalog ids: thumb_active_rom

    Open resource

  • Hand therapy exercise videos

    South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · 2022-01-13

    Covers hand therapy drills including blocking-style motion work.

    Good for therapist-guided motion retraining.

    Catalog ids: finger_blocking

    Open resource

  • other therapy exercises

    UHCW Hand Centre · 2025-08-18

    Includes finger tendon gliding and blocking exercises.

    Helpful for joint isolation and glide.

    Catalog ids: finger_blocking, thumb_active_rom

    Open resource

Catalog fact-check source list

Education sources

HandTherapy.app summarizes common home-program elements used in hand therapy and surgery recovery education. These links are for learning — they do not replace your clinician's instructions.

Explainer

How to do it well

Goal, setup, dose, and the things therapists most often have to repeat. This is education — not a replacement for your clinician's plan.

Before you start

  • If you had thumb tendon surgery, follow your surgeon’s timeline first.
  • Move slowly — quality of the isolated motion matters more than range.

Today's dose

Reps
8
Sets
2
Hold
3s
Sessions / day
3
Rest
30s
Pain ceiling
3/10

Common mistakes

  • Letting the base of the thumb bend along with the tip
  • Pulling on the tip with the other hand
  • Bending the wrist to ‘help’

Easier version

  • Do half the reps
  • Stop short of full IP bend

Harder version

Only if your phase allows progression.

  • Once cleared, add a very gentle pinch against a soft pad at end-range

How did this feel?

One tap. Saved as a question for your next visit when relevant — never auto-shared.

Jump toSession playerWhy & safetyForm cues & doseKeep going
Continue your rehab

What to do next — not a dead end

Suggestions use shared goals, tags, and difficulty — not your medical record. Always defer to your clinician’s plan after surgery or a flare.

Estimated time

~2 min this exercise

Add a second exercise below for a fuller block.

Equipment

None required — bodyweight / table surface only

Pain-level guard

Explainer ceiling: 3/10 — back off before you reach it.

When to stop

Sharp pain at the wrist or thumb base

Inability to bend the tip after a few gentle reps

Full stop rules ↑

Common mistake to watch

• Letting the base of the thumb bend along with the tip

More form cues ↓

Get clearance first if

  • • Recent FPL tendon repair without surgeon clearance and protocol
  • • Acute thumb fracture before bone-healing milestones

Commonly paired with

Different goal, shared tags — typical clinical pairings.

Movement library — same skills, smaller steps

Movements are the building blocks therapists combine into exercises.

Keep momentum without overdoing it

Log on TodayShort on time?Bad hand day?Tune recommendationsGuided sessionSafety hubLearn library
In-session scaling: Easier — Do half the reps · Harder — Once cleared, add a very gentle pinch against a soft pad at end-rangeFull explainer ↓