Take a moment to think about all the ways you use your hands. Perhaps you’re scrolling through this blog on your phone. Maybe you used a knife and fork at lunch earlier. These kinds of activities involve fine motor skills–and when something goes wrong, occupational therapy for fine motor coordination will help you get back to the things you love.
Fine motor skills refer to the small movements we make with our hands and fingers. We use these skills constantly in our daily lives, often without thinking about it. But what happens when you injure your hand or wrist? You’ll start to see just how crucial these skills are!
At Prairie Rehabilitation, we offer occupational therapy for fine motor coordination to navigate that exact situation. We can also help you manage changes in your fine motor skills brought on by neurological conditions like stroke, brain injury, or Parkinson’s disease.
Using targeted occupational therapy interventions, we’ll develop a treatment plan that suits your needs–whatever they may be! Keep reading to learn more about what we can offer.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy is a field of healthcare focused on helping you perform everyday activities–what we call “occupations.” This includes activities like…
- Brushing your teeth
- Self-care and grooming
- Getting dressed
- Bathing
- Managing household chores
Fine motor skills underscore all of these kinds of activities. For example, to brush your teeth, you need to be able to squeeze out toothpaste and hold a toothbrush. When you get dressed, you may need to do up small buttons or manipulate a zipper. Fine motor skills are everywhere–and we’ll help you improve them.
How Occupational Therapy Helps Improve Fine Motor Coordination
Our team will start by evaluating your exact needs. We tailor our treatment plans to address not only your specific physical difficulties but also your unique goals. Understanding what you need and want to do helps us create the best treatment plan possible.
For that reason, exact treatment plans will vary. However, we do have a few broad strategies that we can employ for our patients:
- Exercises: In some cases, you can restore or improve your fine motor skills by building strength and dexterity in your hands and fingers. For example, someone with a hand injury can often restore their fine motor skills completely by undergoing rehabilitation. At the same time, hand exercises can also help delay the progression of conditions like Parkinson’s disease.
- Training: As part of your strength and dexterity work, we’ll “train” you on the specific tasks you need to do. Activities like folding clothes, using a manual can opener, or organizing your bathroom cabinet are all practical ways to work on fine motor coordination.
- Adaptations: Even if you can’t fully restore your fine motor skills, our occupational therapists can help find adaptations that allow you to still complete your everyday tasks. For example, we can add grips to your pens to make them easier to hold or show you how to utilize speech recognition technology to navigate your computer.
Is Occupational Therapy Right for You?
Not sure if you need occupational therapy for fine motor coordination? Request a consultation at Prairie Rehabilitation. We’ll conduct a thorough evaluation and let you know if you could benefit from our services–and if you’re struggling with small, everyday tasks, you likely will!