Posted on: November 9, 2017 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Stroke affects people differently. Recovery from stroke is a process, one that involves physical, emotional and social engagements. Such efforts not only help in attaining full recovery but also work collectively to prevent future incidences of stroke. Hands and fingers are some of the parts of the body you will strive to restore to their normal operations after suffering a stroke. While long-term disability can result from severe strokes, finger and hand exercises can come handy in restoring your body to normalcy.

What are your options?

The medical field has never been short of appropriate exercise for hands and fingers. You have an array of choices to pick from. In the past, exercises targeting range of motion like repeat pushing of affected hands against the mattress have proven effective. Recently, therapists have embraced the use of squeeze balls in helping affected patients recover from stroke. The range of stress ball exercises is wide.

For one, you can adopt the popular power grip. In this case, you only need to squeeze the ball using your thumbs and finger. Your focus should be on the pads and fingers even as you press into the ball. The pinch exercise is yet another common stress ball exercise for the fingers. This simple workout involves extending one’s thumbs and fingers to pinch the stress ball.

Most recently, therapists have been recommending the finger flexion workout for those recovering from stroke. As opposed to the power grip, this exercise involves holding the ball in your palms. Go ahead and press your fingers into the ball. Your focus should be on the inward movement of the fingers. Doing this enhances coordination of the hands, a critical aspect of recovery.

Choose the right squeeze balls

While squeeze balls are generally great for stroke rehabilitation therapies, you need to ensure you have the right balls with you. Hand therapy balls are affordable. That means one can acquire different hand squeeze balls to achieve different objectives in the course of the recovery.

If you aim at developing muscle strength as part of the stroke recovery, opting for soft balls is deemed appropriate. Gaining coordination, on the other hand, calls for firm balls. It is worth noting that these hand therapy balls are designed in different densities. Using different balls of varying densities enables you to challenge yourself and watch your progress even as you recuperate.

Most importantly, the choice of hand therapy balls for stroke recovery isn’t just influenced by the density. The design also matters. For instance, hand therapy balls with strings, StringyBalls, are easy to use and provide great convenience. Depending on the doctor’s recommendations, you can consider other factors as well when buying squeeze balls.

Suffering a stroke can be one of the most devastating experiences. However, there is always hope of recovery. In the past, regular hand and finger exercises have played an integral role in helping people who have suffered from stroke recover. They are still effective, especially those involving squeeze balls.

Bio

Lenny Kerry is a physiotherapist in California. She runs a private rehabilitation centre where she helps patients with stroke recovery and other forms of clinical rehabilitations. To learn more on what she does, visit her website.

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