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Theraputty exercises: grip, pinch, finger and thumb moves explained

By the Life in Good Form editors. Updated 2026-10-13.

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Before you start

• Get the go-ahead after injury or surgery. Cambridge University Hospitals says these exercises should only be done if your therapist advises them. Royal Berkshire's leaflet likewise says to begin as instructed by your therapist.
• Know what is normal. Cambridge says tightness or a pulling feeling is normal. If you feel sharp pain, lower the intensity; if pain continues, stop and tell your therapist.
• Stop for acute pain. Frimley Health says to stop any exercise that causes acute pain until your therapist reviews you.
• Skip flares. University Hospitals Sussex says not to do strengthening when joints are actively inflamed: red, hot, swollen and painful.
• Warm the putty. United Lincolnshire Hospitals suggests kneading it in your hands first.

Need help choosing a putty strength? See our therapy putty guide.

Grip exercises

1. Full fist. Place the putty in your palm and curl all your fingers into it to make a fist. Cambridge says to hold for 5 seconds, then release. Frimley suggests reshaping and repeating until the putty forms a fat sausage.
2. Hook fist. Hold a sausage of putty in your palm. Bend only the middle and end finger joints to pull the fingertips toward the palm, keeping the big knuckles straight (Royal Berkshire, Cambridge).
3. Flat fist. Bend the fingers at the big knuckle and middle joint and press all fingers into the putty, holding for a count of 5 (Cambridge).
4. Rolling sausage. Roll the putty into a sausage by moving your hand back and forth with the fingers together and straight, then again with fingers spread (Frimley).

Finger spreading and straightening

1. Doughnut escapes. Keep your fingers together, wrap the putty tightly around them like a doughnut, then spread your fingers apart to stretch it (Frimley).
2. Stretch the pizza. Flatten the putty into a thin round. Start with fingers together and knuckles bent, then straighten and spread your fingers to stretch it out (Frimley).
3. Webbing spread. Pinch your fingertips together, mold putty over them with the other hand, and slowly open your fingers as wide as you can (Cambridge).
4. Single finger straightening. Bend one finger so its tip is near your palm, wrap a strip of putty over the fingertip, hold both ends, and straighten the finger fully. Repeat on each finger (Frimley).
5. Finger squeeze. Put a small ball of putty between two fingers and squeeze them together until they meet. Repeat for each pair (Cambridge).

Pinch and thumb exercises

1. Pinch along a sausage. Use your thumb and index or middle fingertip to make pinches along a putty sausage, like pinching pastry (Frimley).
2. Key pinch. Pinch putty between the pad of your thumb and the side of your index finger, then pinch and twist as if turning a key (Royal Berkshire).
3. Rooftop squeeze. Make a rooftop shape with straight fingers and the thumb underneath, place a ball of putty between them, and squeeze while keeping the fingers straight (Frimley).
4. Thumb dig. Shape the putty into a cylinder in your palm and push your thumb through until it reaches the palm. Reshape and repeat (Frimley).
5. Thumb toward finger. Place a ball of putty in the web space between thumb and index finger and press the thumb toward the finger (Frimley).
6. Thumb out. Put a ring of putty around your index finger and thumb and move the thumb away from the finger (Frimley).

How many, how often

The hospital leaflets from Cambridge, Frimley and Royal Berkshire do not give fixed repetitions; they leave them for your therapist to set, because the right dose depends on your injury and stage of recovery. If you have a programme from a therapist, follow it.

For hand osteoarthritis, University Hospitals Sussex gives this general plan for its strengthening exercises, which include squeezing a sponge ball or putty and squeezing a sponge or putty between the thumb and each fingertip:

Pick a few exercises that match your goal rather than doing all of them. Fist and hook moves work squeezing; doughnut and pizza stretches work opening the hand against resistance; pinch and thumb moves practice the small grips used for things like turning a key.

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Questions people ask

Is there a theraputty exercises PDF?

Many NHS hospitals publish putty exercise leaflets, and the exercises on this page are described from them. If you are in therapy, ask your therapist for the sheet they use, since they will mark the exercises and repetitions for you.

How many reps should I do with therapy putty?

Most hospital leaflets leave this for your therapist to set. For hand osteoarthritis, University Hospitals Sussex suggests starting with 3 and building to 10, daily.

Is it normal for putty exercises to hurt?

Cambridge University Hospitals says tightness or pulling is normal, but sharp pain means reduce the intensity, and continued pain means stop and tell your therapist.

What is the best theraputty exercise for grip?

The full fist squeeze is the basic grip exercise in these leaflets. Cambridge says to hold it for 5 seconds before releasing.

Can I do putty exercises with arthritis?

University Hospitals Sussex includes putty in its hand osteoarthritis programme but says to skip strengthening when joints are red, hot, swollen and painful.

Sources

• Therapy Putty Hand Exercises (fhft.nhs.uk), Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Hand Therapy: Theraputty Finger Strengthening Exercises (cuh.nhs.uk), Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• TheraPutty hand strengthening exercises (royalberkshire.nhs.uk), Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Therapeutic Putty Exercises (website.ulh.nhs.uk), United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
• Strengthening exercises if you have osteoarthritis of the hand (uhsussex.nhs.uk), University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

Sources checked 2026-10-13.