I am wondering if it would be possible to compile a list of gadgets, toys, tools, apps to help with training the affected arm?
Does anyone know of an good simple touch typing app to measure / train the affected hand? I’m on (don’t laugh) 8 words per minute, with 1 finger. My new keyboard has better keys that I can feel / hear depress. My non-dominant hand started out at about 8 words per minute, and is now on 25. I aim for a similar improvement with my affected hand.
I’m also interested in objects that can stimulate sensation and feeling. The sort of game I like is putting objects in a bag, and trying to guess what those objects are by feel. I’ve forgotten what the term is for this ability.
I’m also interested in mirror therapy, but in my case it’s not for movement, but for feeling / sensation. I think up my own techniques, but I am aware that especially in the US there are official exercises listed. Does anyone here use mirror therapy?
I’m interested in all techniques, methods and objects that can be used to improve control, dexterity, feeling, etc. I expect there are many options, but I haven’t come across a good resource, because I haven’t been looking hard.
@pando i don’t have any official apps, toys etc but I did things like putting pegs on rim of a tub, picking up and moving jigsaw puzzle pieces, squeezing putty & stress balls & colouring in, squeezing toothpaste tubes etc.
For typing it was just practice…when i sent a message I used my affected hand. It got quicker & easier over time.
Not sure that is what you’re looking for but all those things helped me.
The pink one - expand the palm
The green band - different lengths for gripping an pulling - side ways or downwards with a long one hooked over a door. good for shoulder strengthening.
Blue hand device - squeeze together to strengthen wrist and arm
I’ll have to get back to on the pink one. My OT gave it to me this morning.
The blue one (pack of 2) are from Replab Consulting Ltd (Cardiff based), called a hand grip.
Hi Roland @pando,
Stereognosis is the term you were looking for regarding the ability to differenciate objects by touch alone - not there yet myself but have got to the point where I can, more frequently, find my pocket but I just haven’t got a clue what’s in it (total nightmare when my phone is in there on vibrate - missed call after missed call).
One random hand training tool that i picked up, in a charity shop, a couple of months ago is a pair of Baoding balls
I remembered having a set in my late teens and that I’d found them relaxing so I splurged a whole £3 and now use them when I’m on tele/video calls during work.
Think that they are really helping with dexterity, mainly because I’m too scared to drop them during a work call due to the chiming sound they make.
I also have these Chinese Baoding balls, with pandas on them (apologies to @KGB). They were given to me years ago by a Chinese violin student years before my stroke, and somehow I didn’t think of using them for therapy, but that’s what they’re for!! I was using 3 walnuts, which are slightly smaller, and you juggle them in your hand… a very old school Chinese rehab. therapy… like my Chinese dr. / old school.
I started a thread on mirror therapy, pity this post missed being included in it. However, keeping ourselves stimulated is priceless, so I’m glad you’re having fun. Enjoy !
@Nigelglos to be honest, as soon as I saw the coconut(s) I immediately thought of Monty Python and The Holy Grail
Glad to hear that this is helping, I’m sure that I’ve got a spare mirror tile somewhere so if I can find it then I’ll give it a go.
One other thing that I have been doing is passing objects, whatever is to hand (pun not intended), between my hands with my eyes closed to compare the difference in touch sensation (and weight perception) whilst trying to tell my brain that what I sense with my right hand is correct. Although knowing my luck I’ll end up training my good hand to be as bad as my bad hand!!
Hello Pando,
My physio calls the pink finger stretcher; circular finger stretcher resistance band.
I did find similar idea as - hand grip strengthener or Hand Round Rings And Finger Stretcher Gripping Grip Ball.
See what you think when you google it.
Following!!! Thanks for this new post! OOPS, I should have said Watching, as that is what I changed to in order to get all the updates on this! Wish we could use the same ‘wording’ across all platforms that perform the same function.
@Nigelglos
I’m glad you have connected with mirror box therapy
Am I right that your main focus is sensory rather than movement?
I’ve used it twice for movement and I didn’t get on with it at all. But I place the reason for that clearly squarely on lack of explanation by the supervising therapist. The second time it was a PhD student who you would think would explain clearly
Mirror therapy is widely used in the phantom limb pain treatment. There’s an excellent YouTube of somebody with a missing leg following mirror therapy to reduce their pain. So I would guess there is good precedent for other sensory enhancements?
It has been proved that imagining doing something stimulates the same neurones as actually doing it. If the neurones that used to be there alive are now dead and we imagine something I guess there’s a hypothesis that new neurones will take over the role of being stimulated by imagination? it is important to imagine a rich task and achievement.
As a result of my second attempt to use mirror box of therapy I did actually do a little bit of searching around.
As you say it is important to put your reference hand out of sight behind the mirror. It’s also important (for movement but I can’t vouch for sensory stimulation) and something I found virtually impossible - to as far as possible not give it sense of touch stimulation, so that the willing suspension of disbelief or the imagining of the mirror view mapping to the achievements of the disabled hand is not broken.
I’m glad someone was able to identify coconut shells because I thought you were playing with half a scotch egg !
For the PhD study I kept detailed notes - and we had some discussions about aspects such as the reverse image and the perception of moving in one direction required compensating discounting or recalibrating for the fact that there were the mirror involved - but I don’t remember all the aspects of conversation .
I will have a look and if I think there’s something useful I’ll create a post.
I had quite a large mirror box that the student had self manufactured out of black gaffer tape and an acrylic mirror and some lightweight black plastic cardboard it was about a foot to a side and 2 ft long so I could put my arm in and mostly it was out of sight
I recommend searching YouTube for phantom limb pain & mirror box because you may get pointers that are useful and they won’t be about movement
You have had a lot of replies and I will read them later. I just add a couple of things I did.
I purchased a touch sensetive keyboard for my computer to replace the old one.
When I go for my morning walk I pick up a twig from the garden and all the time when walking I’m working it to death, tying to break it or at least twirl it through my fingers. If I drop it I can leave it where it fell since it is not rubbish and I’m breaking no law!
It is now nearly ten years since I had my stroke which did its best to wipe out my right side. I now can play guitar and keyboards again (Pretty badly but better than not at all) and walk without a stick.
Regards
Deigh
Deigh
Since research gate is actually quite a difficult site (ime) to get approved on and thus access to the text I’ve extracted a little (and paraphrased)
In a population of 31 patients where 15 were given passive therapies and 16 used mirror box the conclusions were:
Conclusions: In comparison with passive mobilization, mirror therapy in chronic stroke survivors with severely impaired upper-limb function may provide a limited but positive effect on light touch sensitivity while providing similar motor improvement. Clinical rehabilitation impact: Mirror therapy is a therapeutic approach that can be used in the rehabilitation of severely impaired upper limb in chronic stroke survivors, specifically to address light touch sensitivity deficits.
and now use them when I’m on tele/video calls during work.
