It is important to receive effective rehabilitation for any problems you are having with your hand, as a lack of treatment can cause long term damage, such as a loss of range or motion.
Your hand rehabilitation will be led by a Circle Rehabilitation physiotherapist or occupational therapist. After assessing the extent of any loss of function in your hand, a comprehensive hand rehabilitation exercise programme will be created, tailored specifically for you. This may include:
Movement
Your hand, wrist and arm will be expertly moved in certain ways to ensure range of motion is maximised even if you are unable to move them yourself.
Massage
Deep pressure can be relaxing and calming, helping the central nervous system to process sensory information. A deep massage of the hand can be useful to stimulate muscles and nerves that may not be functioning as normal.
Temperatures
A change in temperature can have a positive effect on the central nervous system, and often we will ask a patient to place their hand in cooler water then warmer water a number of times. Even in patients who have minimal feeling in their hand, this simple exercise can be of benefit.
Sensory boxes
We have a number of boxes that each contain a number of different textures. By feeling these different textures with your hand, damaged muscles and nerves can be stimulated.
Therapeutic Putty
Therapeutic putty (in different consistencies) can be a good way to improve strength and function in the hands and fingers
Mirror therapy
A stroke can leave weakness, partial or temporal paralysis in one side of the body. When a mirror is placed between your hands, the reflected image of a moving hand can stimulate different parts of the brain, aiding rehabilitation of the affected hand.
Constraint induced movement therapy
By artificially reducing movement in your non-affected hand, usually by use of a glove, you encourage increased use of your affected hand.