* Squeeze your thumb, along with the index finger, for five seconds, as hard as possible and then move your thumb to the next finger and repeat. Repeat this exercise thrice on each finger.

* Keep your hands flat and fingers straight for this exercise. Now for 5 seconds, press all your fingers with thumb together with force. Repeat it 10 times.

* Touch the tip of your fingers (one on one) to your palm and straighten again. Now, do it with all the fingers joined together.

* Open and close your hand for at least 10 times. It allows the muscle to move through a full range of movement.

* Try squeezing a tennis ball as hard as possible an. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times. Allow your hand to relax in-between the squeezes.

* Another simple way to strengthen the finger extensors is to bring all your fingers together and put a rubber band around the ends. Now, try to spread your fingers.

* Slide your arm back until your fingers hang over, with your knuckles at the table edge. Keeping your fingers straight and together and your palm flat, move your fingers up and down. It strengthens the small muscle of the hand.

* You can even use Chinese massage rings available in the market. They are made of rubber, with tiny massage nodules on the surface that give a tingling sensation when squeezed and released. Repeat thrice a day, with 15-20 squeezes per hand.

* You can try holding a heavy plate, using your hand and fingers. This will help increase your pinching strength, which will ultimately help strengthen your hand.

* You can even try crushing a newspaper and reducing it to the smallest size as possible. It shortens the muscle of forearm and wrist, in response to the squeezing action, thereby increasing hand strength.

* Chinese hand balls can also be used by keeping the forearm parallel to the ground. Hold the balls with one hand and rotate them, using fingers around the palm. The balls should remain in touch with each other without banging. This exercise will warm up your hands and fingers.

* You can even make use of a rubber band to strengthen your hand, by stretching a single band over all your fingers. Now, stretch your hands outward and inward.