![]() An alternative if you don’t have an instrument. Getting back to playing instruments is a great occupational therapy hand exercise because it is afunctional activity. Puzzles double as a fun activity since it also helps improve hand and finger coordination. If you want to make things more fun and interesting, play board games like checkers or chess which require you to practice your fine motor skills as you move your pieces and activates your brain for scanning, decision making and sequencing tasks. Using your thumb, index finger and middle finger is a functional ‘tripod grip’. Start with your thumb and index finger, then move onto your thumb and middle finger, ring finger, then pinky. To gently improve finger strength, take a clothespin and practice pinching it with different fingers. ![]() This will help improve coordination and fine motor skills. Grab a handful of loose change and practice stacking coins on top of each other. Those looking for additional challenges can continue to the next hand therapy exercises. Repetition and movement are important because that’s how you rewire the brain (via neuroplasticity) and improve hand function. You can stop here and repeat these 4 exercises with high repetition. Individuals recovering from a stroke or brain injury may find these four exercises challenging enough. Hold this stretch for 20 seconds and release. With your fingers still interlaced, gently bend your affected wrist backward and get a nice stretch there. You should feel this stretch all the way up your inner arm. Then stretch your affected arm palm-side up. Place your hands in your lap and interlace your fingers. Continue to move your thumb back and forth between these 2 positions. Then, practice moving your thumb over to your little finger, signaling the number 4. Wrist Extension and Flexionįor another gentle exercise, start with your palm open, as if you were signaling the number 5. Not only will this will help prevent muscle stiffness after stroke ( spasticity), but it can also help introduce movement into your affected hand.įor those who do have some hand mobility, you can practice these hand therapy exercises actively (meaning no assistance from your unaffected hand) as a good warm-up activity. This means using your unaffected hand to help your affected hand complete the exercises. Stretching Exercises for Extremely Stiff or Paralyzed HandsĮvery therapeutic home exercise program should start with a warm up, and your hands are no different.įor those with paralyzed hands from neurological injury like stroke, you should start with passive exercise. Strengthening Hand Therapy Ball Exercises.Use the links below to jump to any section: It’s organized from simple to complex exercises. This hand therapy exercise guide contains exercises for all ability levels. If you want to add some therapeutic hand exercises to your home exercise program, read on. ![]() They are especially helpful for improving fine motor skills after a neurological event like stroke or brain injury.įurthermore, hand strengthening exercises like these can also help prevent conditions like arthritis from getting worse. Studies have shown that if you like this, you will also love the following articles.Hand therapy exercises can help improve strength and dexterity in the hands and fingers. Pour out excess water, and you’re ready to use. Get your hands in there and knead the putty until it’s no longer stickyħ. Add it to the glue mixture and stir again.Ħ. In a separate bowl, mix very hot water and 1/4 Tsp Borax until it is dissolved.ĥ. This DIY Putty recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make and kids LOVE squeezing, pulling, stretching, and playing with their Putty.Ĭreativity and endless amounts of inspiration will come from playing with this awesome homemade putty. The Putty Recipes we share here are for kids and adults are are a super easy way to create silly putty and Therapy Putty using common household ingredients. ![]() Your kids will be enjoying this DIY thinking putty while they squeeze it, flatten it, stretch it, snap it, poke it or whatever else they want to do with it. Plus, it does a great job strengthening their hand muscles which are important to use now and as they grow. It’s perfect for the kids to play with any time. We store therapy putty in magnetic spice jar containers or closed containers near our schooling area. It’s also great for improving hand strength so if you or your children need to work on hand or wrist muscels a DIY putty might be just what you need. Your kids will love this homemade putty just for them.
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