Stroke and traumatic injury make our hands weak, and patients lose their hand strength and dexterity. To mitigate this problem, hand therapists developed hand therapy exercises that are effective yet pocket-friendly options. Every patient can do hand therapy exercises with a squegg ball. Hand therapy ball comes with lots of versatility. Therefore, stroke survivor patients can easily practice different types of exercise with it.
In this article, we’ll share 8 therapeutic exercises beneficial for hands, also enhance fine motor skills after stroke and injury.
Eight Hand therapy ball exercises to get better fine motor skills
High repetition practice is a highly effective way to ease hand recovery after stroke. Regular practice of these below-mentioned exercises will positively trigger your brain and stimulate it to rewind itself. The brain has this capacity which is medically known as
“Neuroplasticity”.
Start each exercise with low reps,
for say 10-15; Then gradually increase your repetitions. Or you can aim for 3
sets of 10 reps within a day. Do these exercises until they cause pain.
Power Grip
Start with a power grip exercise. This exercise is developed to strengthen your grip; Therefore, you can hold an object easily and also release it quickly. When you hold or grasp an object, it will target and stimulate the flexor muscles of your forearm and make them stronger to pick up an object easily. However, grasping firmly is not enough for your fine motor coordination. You must practice releasing the ball promptly, which targets the extensor muscles. This pair of grasp and release helps relieve joint pain, alleviate muscle stress, and reduce anxiety.
How to do it: Take a soft silicone ball and squeeze with your fingers and thumb, then release it completely. Squeeze with full potential, and open your fingers widely when releasing the ball.
Pinch
Pinch a silicone ball or hand therapy ball with your thumb and fingers. Don’t forget to keep all your fingers straight. Pinching exercises strengthen finger muscles. When you feel comfortable with the primary level of pinching, make this more changing by pinching the ball for an extended period of time.
Thumb flexion & thereby
extension Our thumb plays a crucial role in multiple hand functionality, including grasping and pinching. So, it is crucial to develop muscle strength to maintain control. Keep your palm flat, hold the ball on your palm and utilize your thumb to make it in place. Then after that, use your thumb to roll the ball back and forth with your palm. These movements properly isolate your thumb.
Table Roll
Take a squishy ball and place it on a table, then place it on top of the ball. Roll the ball with the base of your palm, then fingertips. Do not put extensive pressure or too less pressure because, in both cases the ball will be difficult to move. Adjust this table roll hand therapy ball exercise by adjusting the pressure on the ball.
Finger flexion
It is not a finger exercise. Therefore, you don’t have to use your thumb here. Instead, grasp the therapy ball in your palm and press it as much as possible with your fingers except your thumb. Simultaneously press and release. Check how much you can do. Squeeze with your full potential without using your thumb. This will definitely strengthen your finger joints and make them flexible to bend easily.
Thumb roll
It is a thumb-targeted exercise that isolates your thumb and motivates you to work with a complete range of motion. Consequently, it will recover your thumb from stiffness and get more balance and regulation power. Hold a squish ball or tennis ball on your palm. Don’t forget to keep your palm flat as much as you can. Keep your thumb in place. Next, use your thumb to move the ball in a circle.
Finger Squeeze
This finger squeeze exercise is a very good workout to bolster the finger adduction muscle. When you squeeze your fingers, muscles allow your fingers to bring them together, which is important for holding an object. Take a squish ball between two fingers and squeeze your fingers all together. Squeeze and release simultaneously. You can perform this exercise with any combination of fingers you prefer. But please make sure to include all fingers one by one.
Thumb opposition
It is quite similar to a thumb roll. Here you’ve to roll the ball side by side instead of moving into the circles. Place the therapy ball on your palm and apply your thumb to hold it in place. Next, use your thumb to move the ball from left side to right side and right to left.
Hope the abovementioned exercises are going to help you. To make your fine motor coordination stronger, buy a hand grip strengthener ball and use it as we instructed. Do these exercises regularly to get optimum benefits from them. Now squishy silicone ball has become very famous for its therapeutic benefits. Many international brands have launched it with integrated features.
