If you have a sprained wrist, the first thing your physician will recommend is complete rest and treatment, including ice and heat therapy. Wait to begin wrist exercises until your injury has healed completely. Essentially, there are two forms of wrist exercises---stretching and strengthening. Begin your stretching routine when you no longer have sharp pain in your wrists, followed by a strengthening routine when stretching the affected area no longer causes pain.
Stretching
According to University Sports Medicine, stretching your wrists can aid in healing sprains. One common stretching exercise is known as the "wrist range of motion" exercise. It is done in three parts. To begin, hold your arm out and gently bend your wrist forward. Don't strain or jerk your wrist. Hold for five seconds and bring it back slowly. Do three sets of 10 repetitions each. Next, bend your wrist backward, following the same procedure, and do three sets of 10 movements. Next, do a side-to-side exercise, bending your wrist gently to the left from the starting position, holding for five seconds, then bending it to the right, holding again for five seconds. Do three sets of 10 repetitions each.
Another useful exercise is "the wrist stretch." To begin, hold your hand out with your fingers loose and relaxed and your palm facing down. Bend your wrist forward, so that your fingers are pointing down, then grip the back of your palm with the other hand and apply gentle pressure to your thumb and fingers, pushing them farther down. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Return to the starting position and bend your wrist backward, so that your palm is facing out, in the "stop" position. Now use your other hand to apply gentle pressure to your fingers to push them farther backward, and hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat the entire process three times. As your flexibility improves, gradually increase the pressure from the other hand.
End with what is known as the "wrist extension and flexion stretch." Stand at a table with your palms and fingers resting flat on its surface and your elbows straight. Gently lean your body forward, keeping your elbows straight, so that some pressure falls on your wrists. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds and then relax. Now, invert the position of your hands on the table, so that your palm is facing up and your fingers are pointing toward your body. Gently lean your body away from the table, and hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Repeat the entire set three times.
Strengthening
The first strengthening exercise is a "wrist flexion" movement. According to the University of Michigan Health System, these wrist strengthening exercises should only be performed when you either no longer experience pain from stretching exercises, or the pain is at a bare minimum.
Begin by holding a hammer handle or a sealed soup can in your hand. With your palm facing up and your hand held straight, bend your wrist upward as far as you can, hold for one second, then return to the start position. Do three sets of 10 repetitions each, and avoid fast or jerky motions.
The "wrist extension" is a similar strengthening exercise---the only difference is that you hold the weight with your palm facing down, and from this position raise your wrist upward. Follow exactly the same procedure as with the "wrist flexion" exercise, and again do three sets of 10 repetitions each. As your wrist strengthens, increase the weight used in both exercises.
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