Recovery Exercise

Most Effective Hand Paralysis Exercises

I'll tell you what, hand paralysis is a bitch. I've been asked "Is it like when you wake up from sleeping with your arm above your head? You know, when all the blood drain from your arm and you have to shake it awake?" 

No. No it's not. My hand is not numb; I can feel everything, perhaps even more than my left hand. My brain is telling my hand to move i.e. "wiggle your fingers!", "turn over!", "flick off the guy in class who keeps interrupting you!", but as hard as I will my hand to move, no matter how many neurons I feel traveling from my brain to my fingers, it is always the same result. A tone-tightened fist.

Sometimes, on good brain days, I can hold up a number four when I stretch or yawn. I try to keep my hand in that pose for as long as possible to strengthen the brain connection, but it exhausts my mind. I keep on trying.

Here are three exercises that have been most effective for cueing hand motion.

1. Ring Grip

I do as many reps as my brain can handle. On good brain days, it's about ten. I usually am able to repeat 2-3 times a day.  I like this as opposed to a regular gripper because it encourages natural hand formation as well as targets the extensor pollicis brevis (that squishy muscle at the base of your thumb).

Buy a Ring Grip

2. Hammer Pronation/Suppenation

Some days, I can't do this exercise at all. Make sure that the hammer is not too much weight for your wrist, otherwise you'll do more damage than good. I find that top weight gives me more feedback, so I use a light-weight wooden-handled mallet. For this one, control is the name of the game. On good brain days, I can open a doorknob!

3. Individual Fingers

Buy a Finger Exerciser

This is my nemesis. I only do three reps per finger. It's frustrating when my fingers slide off their respective buttons, but that where true will power comes into play. This video is of me attempting to isolate my third finger, which has the strongest connection. It doesn't seem like much, but I assure you connections are being strengthened. In order for it to make a difference, it must be practiced daily, even though it's annoying as hell.

I realize this has been a very specific post that most like only applies to about 1% of people, but if I can help just one person, it's more than worth it.

Yours,

Amy