Hi guys and girls im 5months post stroke and i was hoping for some hints or tips on geting my fingers and hand moving ive tried a mirror box and a stim but no luck am i expecting too much to soon ?
3 Likes
Everyone’s progress is different and it’s difficult to say how long it will take for you to see some improvement. A few things that I did was putting pegs on side of a tub…initially they went everywhere but the tub but I got there in the end. I also tried picking things up and moving them…i used jigsaw pieces but anything will do. I also tried colouring with my affected hand. Again too time but i got there. I had a stress ball too that i sat & squeezed. When i got the eyes to pop out I knew I’d got some movement & strength back.
Not sure if these are any use to you…will depend how much / little movement you have but might help further down the line if not right now.
2 Likes
Hello adsmoore17,
So frustrating. Are your physios / therapists no longer around?
I find washing the dishes, drying and putting away good practice.
You may have to stretch your wrist (twist and turn)and thumb (pulling it gently up and massage). Also, reaching up and sideways with your arm to build up your shoulder strength.
As ever, be patient and practice, the arm, shoulder, wrist and fingers I find is slower because we do more definition with our hands. My wrist and thumb are very slow, but improving little by little.
2 Likes
@adsmoore17 Hi, it’s difficult to know what to recommend without knowing your present position so I can only speak from my own experiences. When I left hospital I had affected arm movement only. I could not actually use it or place it in any particular position. I was in bed, and could manage to sit up with support. I had no movement at all, absolutely zero in my fingers. For about 2 months I used my good hand to work the lifeless fingers in repetitive little movements, mainly working on making a thumb/index pinch movement many thousands of times.I was told to try imagining movement but nothing moved. Then one morning I woke up and looked at my dead hand and the index finger moved a tiny fraction, like maybe just one mm. I carried on doing my repetitions and a few days later the finger moved again. I was so happy I called my wife to see. It was a long time before I could do anything more but eventually I managed to pinch a little piece of tissue paper and just carried on building from there.
There is no easy way and everyone is different so the only thing you can do is keep working on your affected hand until your brain finds a way to tell it to move. In my case there was no question of mirror treatment or household chores for a long time but you might not be as bad as I was, so just go for the best work you can manage
3 Likes
My first reply fired off too early, before I finished, sorry
@adsmoore17 one of the many physio teams i had suggested putting uncooked rice in a deep bowl and covering small marbles or similar objects, then you put your hand it and fish around to pick them out. it’s frustrating but worked for me, plus i use putty too. Plenty of you tube videos on exercises. small changes will happen, do not rush it or become despondent. Good luck. i am 3 years post stroke and notice subtle changes all the time
2 Likes
That’s it; you find a start, a thread, any thing that you feel might work, and build from there…
3 Likes
Please describe what you are now capable of and perhaps we can help a bit better.
Wishing you the best,
Derek
3 Likes