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Patrick Willis does "rice digs" with his previously broken hand

Patrick Willis tweeted out some video of his rehab process, which includes thrusting his hand into rice. We take a look at what it means for his rehab. New to Niners Nation? Sign up here and join the discussion!

Patrick Willis on Instagram

The 49ers have a limited injury report heading into Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers, and linebacker Patrick Willis is not on the list. Willis suffered a broken bone early in training camp and missed the entire preseason. However, all indications point to him playing on Sunday.

Willis sent out this Instagram video earlier today. It shows him thrusting his right hand (the broken one) into what appears to be a Gatorade jug filled with rice.

I saw the video after socalisteph tweeted it out, and referenced Willis doing rice digs. I asked her what this was, and she said the rice provided increased resistance to help strengthen the hand and forearm. She said it generally starts out easy, but after several reps it can get difficult. As she put it, hands don't get worked out like other parts of the body, so this is a good sign for his hand. She said it also helps with sensory issues after surgery.

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