This comment from a rehabilitation stroke expert pretty much follows what I am trying to accomplish.
http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2010/04/12/13560141.html
Stroke patients need to rely more on their own problem solving to regain mobility, says a leading international expert on stroke therapy. Dr. Steven Wolf, a rehabilitation stroke expert and professor at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
This one contradicts everything you are taught, that you need to rely on your medical staff for what to do. And I probably should tell you to discuss this line of circular reasoning with your doctor and see which one of you starts screaming first.
Good luck, as my wife once said to me, You're on your own now.
My therapy has been very much dictated by my individualized personal therapy goals under the guidance of my occuptional therapist and I totally worked my heart out. I am just starting to realize exactly how fortuate I have been.
ReplyDeleteThe article cited is referrining under usage of Extremity Constraint-Induced Therapy.
I was so scared and upset by having my "good hand" out of commission for months there with the growth on my finger, but at this point I think it is the best thing that could have happened to me. I have pretty good use of all 10 of my fingers now.
My therapist commented that she had been pretty sure I would make great progress when she realized I was having a severe shot of pain when I touched anything with my right hand. Said it would not be considered ethical to give people a zap of pain when using their good hand in order to force them to use the weak hand... but predictable that it would be very effective. (constrain as opposed to pain? hmmmmm probably a lot better compliance too)
Negative reinforcement didn't work for me but that might have been because it was only a week.
ReplyDeletehttp://oc1dean.blogspot.com/2010/09/negative-reinforcement-as-stroke.html