Opening Hands

(An introductory post to go with this essay.)

Sometimes the hand is left in a fist. Not only do u have to start all over again, but u have to start with an adult body. Both my hands have been fisted. I type this with 1 finger on the hand that was lesser. I knew if I could get 1, I'd get the other. It's coming along, but it doesn't type. Although they both open n close n there is finger individuation, there is more to do. It's already been many yrs. What I describe here can span a few months or a few yrs, it depends on the condition n how fast your body wants to work. I wish mine was over night, but rly it's yrs.

Someone who has been thru it can explain it. We haven't ever had 1 have we? So yes, this is different. 

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"Digits should move together. Don't worry about finger individuation yet. First get movement established" http://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2014/11/neurons-that-fire-together-wire-together.html

If your hand is fisted, hold a rolled wash cloth. This will give your hand some separating space. The fingers won't be against the palm of the hand. It reduces and may even stop sweating of the hand. It gets the hand used to being open a bit.

A regular to thin wash cloth should do well for holding. The thicker luxury ones may roll too wide to hold.

Throughout the day, squeeze the cloth. You will make your fist tight. It will be in tightening your hand that you make it looser. Squeezing tighter will be isometric exercise.

Eventually you graduate and move up to stress balls, the kind you squeeze in your hand. I used a cheap foam one. Some companies will put their logo on them and give them away. You can find plain ones at stores. These are the cheap foam ones. They do go up in price as you find the gel ones used in hand therapy.
 

I actually found a picture of the one tied to my wheelchair. A nurse bought this with her other shopping at Wal-Mart. She thought of my fisted hand. She put a hole in it, and threaded gift-wrapping ribbon through it. She used the ribbon to tie it to my wheel chair.
 

 
When you squeeze your stress ball, your fingers stay together. You are not individuating them, yet. Finger individuation doesn't come right now. It is the next step.

From the squeeze ball, and even before you are done with it, you can start doing hand therapy exercises. Don't worry if you can't hold your hand wide open. That is what you are striving for. Just do as much as you can right now.

*I use the videos for their information, not their company.

My Peg Board

*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.

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/RegainingIndependence/PhysicalChallenges/Tips-for-Improving-Fine-Motor-Skills_UCM_309776_Article.jsp