Median nerve slider (neck-to-arm nerve glide)

Sitting tall with one arm out to the side, you straighten the elbow and bend the wrist back while tilting your head toward that arm, then bend the elbow as the head tilts away, so the nerve slides along its path without being pulled tight at both ends.

Movement guide

Median nerve slider (neck-to-arm nerve glide)

DemandEasy

Equipment requiredA bench or box

Muscle focusForearms · Neck · Shoulders

Gets into position, then repeats the movement. Technical checks passed; qualified exercise review is pending.

Watch it bigger, and flip through similar moves, in the studio.Open in the studio

Source-researched guide. Clinical review is pending.

How to move

Sit tall on a firm chair, shoulders relaxed down.
Lift the affected arm out to the side to about shoulder height or a little lower, elbow bent, palm facing up.
Slowly straighten the elbow and bend the wrist back, fingers pointing down, while you tilt your head toward that arm.
Stop at the first sense of a pull or tingle in the arm. It should never be painful.
Slowly bend the elbow and let the wrist relax while you tilt your head away from the arm.
Keep the two movements in time, at an even, relaxed speed. Repeat for the set.

Form cues

This is a gliding movement, not a stretch: keep it moving.
A mild pull in the arm is OK; pain is not.
Avoid: straightening the arm while tilting the head away (that pulls the nerve tight at both ends), moving fast or jerkily, shrugging the shoulder up, or pushing into pain.

Practice and cautions

10 slow repetitions, 2 to 3 times a day. An editorial starting point that mirrors the seated sciatic nerve slider: the hand-therapy leaflet this glide follows leaves the repetitions for the therapist to set, and no trial has tested this exact routine.

Not during the first, most painful days of a pinched nerve. Any increase in tingling should settle within an hour; if it does not, do fewer or stop. Stop if the arm feels weaker or numbness spreads: worsening weakness is a reason to see a doctor. This is movement education, not an assessment or treatment prescription. Stop for sharp or increasing pain, dizziness, numbness or tingling; seek individual guidance for symptoms, injury or restrictions.

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Sources and review status

Sources support the educational description; they do not establish that this exercise is suitable for you.

No variation is labeled clinically validated.

What it works

Muscles

Main: Forearms. Also: Neck, Shoulders.

Anatomy: Brachioradialis, Wrist and finger flexors, Wrist and finger extensors.

Equipment

A bench or box

Level

Beginner.

Pain guides that use it

Part of a staged plan, with when to get help first.

Pinched nerve in the neck (cervical radiculopathy): exercises and what to expect

Similar moves

Lying sciatic nerve slider (nerve glide) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoLying sciatic nerve slider (nerve glide)Beginner · No equipment

Seated sciatic nerve slider (nerve glide) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoSeated sciatic nerve slider (nerve glide)Beginner · A bench or box

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Questions people ask

What muscles does the Median nerve slider (neck-to-arm nerve glide) work?

Mainly the forearms, with help from the neck and shoulders.

What equipment do I need for the Median nerve slider (neck-to-arm nerve glide)?

A bench or box.

Is the Median nerve slider (neck-to-arm nerve glide) good for beginners?

It is graded beginner, so it suits most people starting out.