Hand and Finger Exercises to Improve Fine Motor Coordination after Stroke or Brain Injury - Part 2

This is Part 2 in a series discussing how to improve hand coordination, using everyday household objects, after you start to get finger flexion and hand movement after stroke or brain injury or due to other neurological conditions. You'll learn many activities and exercises to improve in- hand manipulation, translation, and pinch and grip and how to progress the function of the hand. Follow the link to my website for a free pdf of ideas you can pull from each day: www.mountainth...
Check out Part 1 for how Improve Wrist and Forearm stability and control needed for Increased Fine Motor Coordination After Stroke or Brain Injury: • Wrist and Forearm Exer...
Here is a link to my favorite amazon stroke and TBI rehabilitation products: mountaintherap...
The information provided here is to be used as a resource for general information only and is not to be taken as advice or to be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment . Consult your healthcare providers to decide what is appropriate and safe for you. Mountain Therapy Services LLC shall have no liability for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on information in these videos. Affiliate links listed means Mountain Therapy Services LLC will earn commission, at no cost to you. The viewer is not obligated to purchase from links and is encouraged to research all options
Shauna Young is an Occupational Therapist in Hendersonville, NC and owns a private practice, Mountain Therapy Services LLC. Please check out www.mountainth... to schedule a consultation.

[@csen96]

Which medical professional should one speak to for the shoulder weakness? My mother has had strokes in the past and she seems to be straining herself when raising her hands. Also thank you for making this video!

[@mountaintherapyservices-oc7714]

You’re welcome! Great question. In collaborative neurological rehab settings, like where I have worked, oftentimes the occupational therapist will be the professional with greater focus on the upper extremity, including the shoulder. In some settings, or depending on the training of the therapists on the team, it may be a physical therapist, as they are also trained in physical rehabilitation of the shoulder. Either way, I would recommend finding a neurological trained/experienced occupational or physical therapist to guide rehabilitation of the shoulder, after a stroke. He or she can evaluate and treat the muscle imbalance, tightness, and scapular (shoulder blade) weakness and instability that is often experienced after a stroke. We really need that stability to support functional movement patterns of the rest of the arm and hand. Hope they helps! I wish your mom a successful recovery.

[@ValerieJupe]

May I ask how you got your fingers to m😮 separately. Like the index flicking that coin full the others remain still? Also how sid you get your fingers to be able to spread apart? Or bend just at the first knuckle? Clearly I'm having a lot of trouble with control and coordination. Im 3.5 months post and tryin to get any advice i can on making progress. Thank you

[@ValerieJupe]

And where you bring the coin with your thumb to the index this so looks so complex

[@mountaintherapyservices-oc7714]

These exercises are definitely on a continuum of easy to hard and some maybe too challenging to begin with. Isolating the fingers from each other is definitely a step up in challenge. Flicking with all fingers together or Trying to move a finger independently of the others with the fingers draped off the table would be a couple examples of simpler exercises to start with. I generally encourage people to see what they can do now and practice those movements a lot, building as part of your daily routine, and then try to increase the challenge as it improves. Hope this helps

[@ValerieJupe]

@@mountaintherapyservices-oc7714 thanks at first I thought you'd had a stroke but you're offering it advice. Id there any trick to help with individuation or retaining that kind of control? Just keep tryin and hold down the others when needed?

[@Sixus1Media]

I can feel the sensation of my extensors trying to fire, but it’s very rare when I attempt it that they actually work. I am looking for input on ways to help encourage those extensors to get started again. Thoughts?

[@mountaintherapyservices-oc7714]

Hi and thanks for the question. While I cannot give specific advice without being your evaluating therapist, I generally consider the following treatments for my clients: lots of repetitive task practice of the muscles that are able to fire, possibly mirror therapy, possibly neuromuscular electrical stimulation (with assistance of a therapist and if there are no contraindications,) use of mental imagery, using the non-affected hand to assist the affected hand with the movement you desire and to perform tasks, managing spasticity, grasping and releasing exercises with objects of different sizes (even if it's not a strong extension of the fingers and it is more like an "active relaxation" of the fingers that flex,) trying grasp and release from different positions (ie. try releasing the object with your arm down at your side,) trying releasing an object by letting your wrist drop downward/wrist flexion while the palm is oriented towards floor which sometimes lets the fingers open/extend a little easier. I like weightbearing through the hand as a warm up to these activities. and I make sure to not neglect the shoulder. I make sure the shoulder and shoulder blade muscles are getting stronger and that the shoulder blade is moving as it should, making sure the affected arm and hand are supported to prevent subluxation of the shoulder. I think it also helps to have a good support system, a positive attitude and self-talk, and journaling to write the changes you see (even if small) to help you track your progress. I hope this helps and I wish you well in your rehab journey!

[@lazysleeper7174]

Who could write after a stroke (right)?

[@mountaintherapyservices-oc7714]

Hi and thanks for the question. To best answer your question, a person’s abilities, following a stroke, depend on many factors, which are individual to that person. Therefore, no stroke is the same. Some people do return to writing and some people must rely on their unaffected side for writing. It depends on the motor control, sensation, strength, coordination, perceptual ability, and cognition after a stroke and if the dominant arm/hand was affected. I also have a video specifically about handwriting that gives information and ideas about returning to handwriting that may be helpful. Improve Your Handwriting Legibility After Stroke or Brain Injury with These Exercises and Tips kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZovUYpqviNKFgrc

[@ValerieJupe]

Can you really feel with your fingers

[@mountaintherapyservices-oc7714]

Yes, I personally can feel with my fingers. I am just doing my best to provide insight from an occupational therapist’s perspective, having worked with many individuals with fine motor coordination challenges.

[@ValerieJupe]

@@mountaintherapyservices-oc7714 yeah thanks st first when I saw these I didn't realize you were an ot and weren't coming from the position of having had a stroke