18 November 2016
 Categories: Health & Medical , Blog

Hand surgery can be required for a number of reasons, including accidental damage and repairing damage after infection. The hand is usually required to rest after surgery so that blood vessels and soft tissue have a chance to rebuild. It can be very important to perform some physiotherapy exercises after hand surgery to help you regain full function and control, to allow you to write, eat, and perform other day-to-day tasks requiring fine motor control. 

Thumb strength

An important aspect of fine motor control is having enough thumb strength to have the ability to 'pinch' eating tools or writing instruments. You can encourage this by looping a thick rubber band around the index finger and thumb, then extending the thumb until you feel some soreness. You should hold as long as possible, then release. Keep trying more repetitions in each session and holding the band for longer. This will increase your thumb strength so that you can grip and control your hands. 

Finger flexibility

Another important aspect of motor control is finger flexibility. Try gripping the fingers on each hand into a fist, then extending into a star position. Keep repeating this exercise until all of your fingers can full extend and bend without pain. This is an important part of being able to move the hand through a full range of motion and control each finger separately. If you have issues with forming a fist, it can be useful to grip and rest on a ball of 'physio putty,' which can provide some much-needed support and resistance during the exercise. 

Finger control

It can also be useful to practise control in how the finger tips are used. This can include tracing the alphabet in the air or tracing shapes into slightly resistant material such as baking trays filled with sand or rice grains. These exercises can help you to control the exact path of your fingers and isolate any movements which you are finding challenging. These exercises can help you to develop hand control whilst you are still regaining grip strength after surgery. 

If these exercises are not gaining you the fine motor control that you require, or you do not feel confident in how to perform these exercises, then it can be useful to visit a physiotherapist. They can help to train you in the correct way to do the exercises, as well as help to massage and mobilise your hand joints to provide pain relief and speed recovery.