Therapeutic putty helps you rebuild hand strength, dexterity, finger coordination, and joint mobility after hand or wrist surgery, carpal tunnel procedures, tendon injuries, fractures, or a stroke. It is a non-toxic, non-oily silicone material based on borosiloxane chain compounds that resists deformation when you apply force. Unlike a stress ball or a rigid hand grip, putty gives way in proportion to how hard you press, so your fingers, hand, and wrist work through a wider range of motion. That makes it a simple tool for practicing hand movements at home between therapy visits.
What Therapy Putty Does for Your Hand
The resilience of the material is what makes it useful in rehabilitation. Because the putty does not dry out, crumble, or stick to skin or surfaces, it can be used again and again for months. Standard CanDo TheraPutty is gluten-free, casein-free, latex-free, and non-toxic if swallowed.
Research backs this up. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine evaluated a 6-week hand exercise programme using therapeutic putty (85 grams of putty per exercise) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The 10-minute program produced statistically significant improvements in both extension and flexion force as well as hand function measured by the Grip Ability Test (p < 0.01). Ultrasound also showed a larger cross-sectional area of the extensor digitorum communis, the muscle that straightens the fingers.
A 2024 study in the Indian Journal of Physical Therapy and Research found that putty-based strength training clearly improved grip strength, hand function, and quality of life in people with chronic rheumatoid arthritis. The gains came from stronger finger flexors and thumb muscles.
What Do Physical Therapists Use Putty For?
Physical and occupational therapists use putty for post-injury recovery, managing chronic conditions such as tendinitis and repetitive strain injuries, and improving the strength, flexibility, and dexterity of the hand, fingers, and wrist. Hand therapy with putty is commonly prescribed following carpal tunnel release, trigger finger surgery, Dupuytren’s contracture release, tendon repairs, and distal radius fracture rehabilitation.
In stroke rehabilitation, putty exercises help improve finger coordination, hand control, and fine motor skills needed for daily tasks such as buttoning shirts, holding utensils, and opening containers. Therapists often send patients home with putty in several firmness levels and a printed exercise guide. These home programs fill the gaps between clinic sessions, which cost about $75 to $200 or more per visit, depending on location and insurance.
For patients with arthritis, gentle putty exercises prescribed by therapists help maintain joint mobility, reduce stiffness, and support everyday independence. The Arthritis Foundation notes that strengthening and stretching exercises prescribed by occupational or physical therapists can help relieve arthritis symptoms and improve hand function. During an active rheumatoid arthritis flare-up, however, most therapists advise against resistance exercises for the hand.
Resistance Levels and Color-Coded Grading Systems
Therapy putty comes in color-coded resistance levels, so your therapist can move you from softer to firmer putty as your hand gets stronger (progressive loading). CanDo TheraPutty Standard from Fabrication Enterprises, Inc. (FEI) in White Plains, New York, uses six industry-standard colors. Medline uses a parallel color system that maps onto TheraPutty.
| CanDo TheraPutty Level | CanDo Color | Medline Equivalent | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| XX-Soft | Tan | Peach / Tan (X-Light) | Severe hand weakness, arthritis flare-ups, and early rehabilitation after surgery |
| X-Soft | Yellow | Orange / Yellow (Light) | Beginners, mild hand weakness, and older adults starting hand therapy |
| Soft | Red | Lime Green / Red (Medium) | General strengthening and mobility exercises at a gentle challenge level |
| Medium | Green | Blueberry / Green (Heavy) | Improving grip strength and endurance; commonly used in clinics and schools |
| Firm | Blue | Plum / Blue (X-Heavy) | Advanced strengthening; provides higher resistance for progressed rehabilitation |
| X-Firm | Black | Gray / Black (XX-Heavy) | High-resistance training, maximum proprioceptive input, and long-term therapy goals |
The usual rule: start soft and increase gradually. You can make an exercise harder in three ways: switch to the next resistance level, use more putty, or add repetitions.
9 Therapeutic Putty Exercises for the Hand
These exercises train grip, finger coordination, and the small muscles inside the hand. A typical home session takes about 10 minutes. Follow the plan your therapist gives you.
- Full-Hand Squeeze: Form the putty into a ball with your full hand. Squeeze firmly, hold the contraction for 3 to 5 seconds, and release. Complete 8 to 10 repetitions to strengthen grip.
- Finger Spread (Extension): Wrap the putty securely around your closed fingers and gently open your hand outward against resistance. Complete 8 to 10 repetitions to strengthen finger extension and coordination.
- Digit Extension (Finger Spread Ring): Roll the putty into a short snake shape and join the opposing ends together to form a small circle. Place your fingers inside the ring and extend them outward to force the ring larger.
- Finger Pinch: Roll the putty into a snake shape. Pinch the material firmly between your thumb and each fingertip, working through one finger at a time. Perform 5 to 8 repetitions per finger to support grip control and fine motor strength.
- Digit Adduction (Finger Webbing): Roll the putty into a snake shape and weave it between adjacent fingers. Slowly bring your fingers together to pinch the putty, holding briefly before releasing.
- Lumbrical Squeeze: Place the putty in the palm of your hand. Squeeze the material while keeping your fingers straight to target the intrinsic hand muscles, holding the squeeze for a few seconds.
- Thumb Strengthening: Hold the putty inside a closed fist with your thumb pointing upward. Press your thumb down and into the putty in a controlled manner to strengthen the thumb.
- Flattening Exercise: Press the putty flat against a table using your palm or fingertips. Complete 8 to 10 repetitions to improve controlled downward pressure and hand stability.
- Rolling Exercise: Roll the putty into a long tube using both palms on a flat surface. Continue the rolling motion for 30 to 60 seconds per session to encourage wrist movement and hand coordination.
Measuring Recovery: Grip Strength, Pinch Strength, and Norms
Therapists track your progress with a dynamometer for grip and a pinch dynamometer for pinch strength.
Grip strength is measured with a dynamometer (such as a Jamar or Takei digital unit) while you sit or stand with your elbow bent at 90 degrees. You get three tries, and the best one counts.
For comparison, the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) tested 13,676 people aged 6 to 80 with a Takei digital dynamometer. Mean grip strength ranged from 50.3 kg for the dominant hand of 30–34-year-old men to 10.0 kg for the non-dominant hand of 6-year-old girls. The 2018 NIH Toolbox study adds US norms for adults aged 18 to 85, split by sex, side, and age group.
To judge whether progress is real, clinicians use the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). For grip strength it lies at 5.0 to 6.5 kg; smaller changes may not reflect a true improvement. After a stroke, the MCID is 5.0 kg on the dominant side and 6.2 kg on the non-dominant side.
Pinch strength is tested in three positions:
- Tip-to-Tip Pinch: Measured with the palm facing down, applying force between the pad of the index finger and the pad of the thumb.
- Lateral Pinch (Key Pinch): Evaluated with the palm oriented medially, applying force between the pad of the thumb and the opposing lateral side of the middle phalanx of the index finger.
- Three-Point Pinch (Palmar Pinch): Measured with the palm facing down, exerting combined force between the pads of the index and middle fingers together opposing the pad of the thumb.
Without a device, therapists test pinch strength by hand. Their “gentle pull” (a 4 out of 5 on the manual muscle test) has been measured at 6.34 newtons, about 650 grams of force, but varied from 4.32 to 8.31 N between therapists. Putty pinch exercises train the thenar muscles of the thumb pad and the interosseous muscles between the bones of the hand. To progress, switch to firmer putty or roll a thicker snake.
Theraputty Varieties and Sensory Putty
TheraPutty is a registered trademark of Fabrication Enterprises, Inc. (FEI), located in White Plains, New York. The company was founded in 1974, started out with Dipsters swimwear, and has made TheraPutty since the 1980s. It sells the putty under its CanDo brand.
Besides the standard putty, there are several special versions:
- Puff LiTE: For an extremely weak grasp. It weighs less and feels airy and velvety, which reduces strain on the hand joints.
- Microwaveable TheraPutty: Can be safely heated for heat therapy. The warmth helps with hand stiffness and tired muscles and improves circulation, which is useful with arthritis.
- TheraPutty Sparkle: Contains glitter that keeps children engaged during hand therapy. It comes in only two levels, Yellow (X-Soft) and Red (Soft), meant for beginners and children.
- Scented TheraPutty: Adds a scent to keep patients attentive and make therapy feel less like work. It comes in four scents: vanilla (tan, XX-light), banana (yellow, X-light), cherry (red, light), and apple (green, medium).
Putty is also used as sensory putty for self-regulation. People with autism, ADHD, or sensory processing disorder squeeze and stretch it because the deep pressure and proprioceptive input can have a calming effect. Firmness is matched to the child: sensory-avoiding children get lighter putty (yellow or tan), sensory-seeking children get firmer putty (blue or black) for stronger input. A favorite is hide-and-seek: the therapist hides pennies, beads, or small toys in the putty, and the child digs them out with single fingers. That combines strengthening with sensory input.
Therapy Putty Prices and Sizes
CanDo TheraPutty comes in sizes from 2 oz patient containers up to 50 lb clinic buckets. Typical US list prices:
- Standard 2 oz Container: $5.50.
- Standard 4 oz Container: $9.50 for any resistance level.
- 1 lb (16 oz) Container: $35.00.
- 5 lb Clinic-Size Container: $145.00.
- Multi-Resistance Sets: A 6-piece boxed set containing 2 oz containers of all six resistance levels (tan through black) lists at $30.00. A set containing all 5 standard resistance levels in 3 oz containers lists at $33.50.
- CanDo Plus Antimicrobial: $6.00 for 2 oz and $125.00 for 5 lb.
- Special Varieties: Microwaveable, scented, and sparkle putties cost between $10.50 and $12.50 for 3 to 4 oz containers.
Prices vary by seller; older catalogs listed the standard sizes for less. For more variety than squeezing and pinching, there are also Puttycise tools, patented accessories that work with TheraPutty.
Myths, Precautions, and Cleanup
Myth: Therapy putty dries out like play putty. Unlike ordinary play putty, CanDo TheraPutty does not dry out, even after months of use.
Mistake: Moving to firm putty too soon. Start with softer resistance and increase only as your strength grows. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, skip resistance exercises during an active flare-up.
If putty gets stuck in hair, clothing, or carpet:
- Hair: Massage in baby oil, hair conditioner, or smooth peanut butter, then gently comb through.
- Fabric and carpet: Scrape off the excess, spray the rest with WD-40, let it stand, and wipe it off with cotton balls.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is therapy putty good for?
Therapy putty is a silicone-based, non-toxic, non-oily resistance material used in occupational and physical therapy to improve hand strength, dexterity, finger coordination, and joint mobility. It is commonly recommended for individuals recovering from hand or wrist surgery, carpal tunnel procedures, tendon injuries, fractures, and stroke rehabilitation, as well as for sensory stimulation in individuals with sensory processing needs.
What do physical therapists use putty for?
Physical and occupational therapists use putty for post-injury recovery, managing chronic conditions such as tendinitis and repetitive strain injuries, and improving strength, flexibility, and dexterity. In stroke rehabilitation, therapists use putty exercises to help patients rebuild finger coordination, hand control, and the fine motor skills required for daily activities such as buttoning shirts, holding utensils, and opening containers.
How much does therapy putty cost?
CanDo TheraPutty lists at $5.50 for a standard 2 oz container, $9.50 for a 4 oz container, $35.00 for a 1 lb container, and $145.00 for a 5 lb clinic container. A 6-piece set of 2 oz containers in all six resistance levels lists at $30.00, while a 5-piece set of 3 oz containers lists at $33.50. Specialized antimicrobial versions cost $6.00 for 2 oz and $125.00 for 5 lb, and special varieties (scented, sparkle, microwaveable) cost between $10.50 and $12.50 for 3 to 4 oz.
When should resistance exercises with putty be avoided?
Most therapists advise against resistance exercises for the hand during an active rheumatoid arthritis flare-up. In every case, start with a softer level and progress gradually as your therapist recommends.
How long should a daily therapy putty session last?
A typical home program uses putty for about 10 minutes a day. In the 2009 rheumatoid arthritis study, a 10-minute program with 85 grams of putty per exercise produced significant gains in extension force, flexion force, and hand function.
