Hand Strengthening After a Stroke or Brain Injury

Neurological impairments caused from stroke, brain injury, or MS may cause difficulty in using your hands. There are lots of ways you can use household objects to strengthen your hands. Here are a few of our favorites.

• Open and close a jar or other container
• Pick up water bottle, bring to mouth, place bottle back down
• More challenging -  fill water bottle
• Less challenging - use an empty water bottle
• Place a sponge in a bowl of water - wring it out into an empty bowl 
• Squeeze a clothespin
• Write your name and address 
• Or write a letter to a friend!  
• Pick up coins from the table one at a time, place in a container
• With a deck of cards, turn each card face up 1 at a time
• Or play solitaire or a card game with a family member
• Or practice shuffling and dealing cards
• Pick up can of soup from counter, place in cabinet, repeat as many times as you can
• Cut paper with scissors 
• Or wrap gifts 
• Or do a craft or art project