What can I do to improve my grip in my left hand

Hi Terry,

Thanks for getting in touch with us at StrokeLine at National Stroke Foundation in Australia.

I am sorry to hear about your stroke and its impact on you. 

Unfortunately, the information we can provide is based on our Australian knowledge of services and

may not be relevant to you outside of Australia. For more appropriate stroke support, it may be

beneficial to contact your local stroke association. 

• UK Stroke Association – Ph. 0303 3033 100 or email helpline@stroke.org.uk.

You may recall from our previous email sent on the 22 of April : the deterioration in your hand/

arm function is concerning and we strongly encourage you to seek medical attention via

calling an ambulance or someone to take you to your local hospital.

It is important to determine whether you have had an actual stroke/ progression of your TIA into a

stroke, or a new stroke altogether. Your treating health professional would be able to assess you

more thoroughly to determine the cause of deterioration and prescribe the necessary treatment or

therapy. They can also work out the necessary strategies for secondary stroke prevention.

NICE guidelines in the UK also have their own guidance around stroke management and rehabilitation.

We hope this is helpful to you.

Kind regards,

StrokeLine

Terry, 

My son had similar experience, when he was discharged, his hand was working quite well. But when he came home he started intense therapy on the hand, and it ended up making it worse than it had been. This is due to the location of his stroke and brain injury - when he works hard on his hand - it resists!

He finds using the hand in function is what works best. Rather than exercising it for exercise/improvement sake, he goes better for example, using his hand to open the door, or hold a cup, or especially pick up and open a chocolate bar. :) 

Hope you've found some things to help improve your hand.