Latest Tips from Stroke-rehab.com

Be on the lookout for Stroke Rehab's new e-book which will be coming out in July 2013! Here's the latest from the June/July 2013 Issue of Stroke Recovery Tips:

Sensory Re-Education

Numbness, tingling, hypersensitivity, and varying degrees of sensory loss can occur after stroke. Sensory re-education is a technique that therapists use in attempt to retrain sensory pathways or stimulate unused pathways. Listed below are some exercises to help with sensation. For maximum improvement, perform exercises 2-4x day for 10 minutes in a quiet room.

1. Try to differentiate between textures (i.e. cotton, sandpaper, satin, Velcro, rubber, velvet, wool, etc.)

2. Hide objects such as marbles, coins, etc. in a bowl of rice/dry beans/sand. Without using vision, try to find the objects with your hand.

3. Have another person touch you on one spot with your eyes open, then with your eyes closed. Try to associate where you saw object touch your skin to how it felt on your skin.

4. Have another person keep pressure still on your skin then move it around. Watch and pay attention how it feels. Close eyes and try to identify when the pressure is still versus when it is moving.

5. Have someone place different objects in your hand while you are looking (i.e. cotton ball, marble, key, paper clip). Close your eyes and then try to identify objects as they are placed in your hand again one at a time.

6. Fill a flexible paper cup (i.e. Dixie cup) half full with water. Attempt to grasp cup without spilling the water or smashing the cup. Use your vision to determine how much pressure you are putting on the cup (i.e. if cup is slipping out of hand, apply more pressure; if cup is squeezed to hard, lessen grip).

7. Have another person apply cold and or warmth to your skin and see if you can detect temperature differences.

8. Feel an object then try to find a matching object inside bowl of dry beans or rice.

9. Close eyes and have someone else position your affected arm. See if you can tell what position your arm is in (i.e. my elbow is bent) then open your eyes to see what position it is in.

10. Close eyes. Have someone else place a lighter object on your hand then a heavier object. Try to determine which object was heavier or lighter.