Introduction

We often focus on physical deficit after stroke and that’s certainly the case with the Rewire app. Loss of sensation to the affected limb(s) is a problem that deserves as much attention since without sensation, movements lack precision and control. We will be incorporating sensory exercises in the app but here we discuss simple things that you can do at home to retrain the senses.

It’s worth noting that hypersensitivity may also be an issue. If you experience this, try to take note of factors that trigger the heightened response. There is a lot of overlap between hypersensitivity responses and post-stroke pain, covered here. Neuropathic agents, such as pregabalin, can play a role in managing hypersensitivity.

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Fine touch

It’s hard to appreciate the finer things in life if your brain doesn’t register them. As with limb weakness, the key to recovery is repetition. Here are a couple of exercises you can try to develop your sense of touch:

1. Grab some tissue paper or cotton wool and lightly brush over the affected limb. Take your time and with your eyes closed, really pay attention to the feeling against your skin. Is the feeling the same across different areas or are certain areas more sensitive?
2. Similar to the above exercise, close your eyes and brush the affected limb with a variety of textures: a sponge, a towel, a wool scarf. Here the focus is not only how the object feels against different parts of the skin, but how the different textures feel. Some textures will evoke certain emotions, a scarf may feel warm and comforting for example.

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Proprioception

Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense movement. Knowing where your arm is in space is important in everyday tasks like chopping a vegetable or making a cup of tea. Loss of proprioception can have a big impact on your balance. Below are two exercises to develop proprioception in both your arm and leg:

1. Fill a mug with water but not all the way to the top in case your arm doesn’t want to play. Close your eyes and attempt to grab the mug and lift it to sip the water. It’s perfectly fine if you miss the handle, just have a cloth on standby…
2. If you have leg weakness, you can work on your proprioception with a simple game that requires a ruler. While sat down, place a ruler vertically between both feet. Then move your stronger leg along the length of the ruler. Close your eyes and attempt to mirror the position of the stronger foot. Open your eyes to compare the difference.

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Objection recognition

Our senses can do incredible things like alert us to danger or identify flavours in a restaurant dish. Some sensory processing is a little more mundane like distinguishing a paperclip from a crocodile clip. Paperclips can be very useful so this skill shouldn’t be overlooked.

1. Fill a bowl will rice and place different objects (like a paperclip) inside. Close your eyes and take your time sifting through the rice and finding objects. The focus shouldn’t solely be on the objects themselves, take time to consider how the grains of rice feel in your hand.

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Conclusion

We have introduced a mindfulness series on sensory awareness that takes you through these exercises and others. This series offers sensory reeducation while helping the mind to cope with the changes that can arise after a stroke. While we think our content is great, we have found the best form of sensory education is having a play with the cute fella at the top of the page.