*You
do need movement in your arm. It doesn't need to be great, but you need
to be able to lift it and extend it. If not, continue with Range of
Motion, becoming more active than passive.
If you look in the bottom drawer
of my end table, you will find this peg board, http://www.pattersonmedical.com/app.aspx?cmd=getProduct&key=IF_921029563
Surprised?
I'll still do things like these exercises,
http://braininjuryknow.blogspot.com/2010/11/using-your-hands.html but
those don't give an actual tool. The above is a thing, and it is used for developing the hands.
Here
I give an actual tool that you would see at therapy. I link to where to
buy it. There are other places now. I didn't have much of a choice when
I looked. There wasn't many websites back then, and this one had
items I could use. There are probably cheaper ones available now, but I
had to make do.
I can't give you a tool without telling you how to use it. I'm not an Occupational Therapist. I can only make suggestions as I used to do when doing early intervention. This item is non-gender specific and doesn't know age as it is a therapy tool.
1.Removing pegs
Five rows is five weeks, if you do one row a week with the bad hand. You can go faster or slower. You would place the pegs with your good hand and take them out with your bad hand. This particular set comes with a storage container. When taking the peg out, just place it in the container for easier clean-up. Putting it "in" a container is actually an activity all by itself.
2. Filling a container
Empty the container. Using only your bad hand, pick-up each peg and place them in the container.
3. Placing a peg
Put 1 in a hole using your bad hand. It may be difficult. Start only with 1 or 2. Place them anywhere on the board. Then attempt to do a row. You might be working on 1 row for a while. When you can finish 1 row, then the new exercise is 2. It will be like this for 5 rows. I like to go no faster than 1 row a week. Your eyes may want to go faster, but your hand needs to learn it.
These exercises here should last around 3 months if you go fast. Repeat them and now it's a half a year. I want you to get the most for your money. So it needs to be something you will use for a while and something that will last. These are large pegs. There really isn't anything like that around the house.
#2 can be accomplished with any container of objects. I used marbles for my left hand, as that was all that was available.
Look around your house first. Some objects may have different uses. The following has different activities.
I can't give you a tool without telling you how to use it. I'm not an Occupational Therapist. I can only make suggestions as I used to do when doing early intervention. This item is non-gender specific and doesn't know age as it is a therapy tool.
1.Removing pegs
Five rows is five weeks, if you do one row a week with the bad hand. You can go faster or slower. You would place the pegs with your good hand and take them out with your bad hand. This particular set comes with a storage container. When taking the peg out, just place it in the container for easier clean-up. Putting it "in" a container is actually an activity all by itself.
2. Filling a container
Empty the container. Using only your bad hand, pick-up each peg and place them in the container.
3. Placing a peg
Put 1 in a hole using your bad hand. It may be difficult. Start only with 1 or 2. Place them anywhere on the board. Then attempt to do a row. You might be working on 1 row for a while. When you can finish 1 row, then the new exercise is 2. It will be like this for 5 rows. I like to go no faster than 1 row a week. Your eyes may want to go faster, but your hand needs to learn it.
These exercises here should last around 3 months if you go fast. Repeat them and now it's a half a year. I want you to get the most for your money. So it needs to be something you will use for a while and something that will last. These are large pegs. There really isn't anything like that around the house.
#2 can be accomplished with any container of objects. I used marbles for my left hand, as that was all that was available.
Look around your house first. Some objects may have different uses. The following has different activities.
