I'm Aoi Hashima , an occupational therapist working in Saga Sumai and Fukuoka.
For the past few days, I've been sorting through my post-stroke sensory disturbances.
"The Effects of Sensory Disorders"
I'm Aoi Hashima, an occupational therapist who works in Saga Sumai and Fukuoka. Difficulty moving limbs after a stroke can occur for a variety of reasons, but the main one is "motor paralysis." But the workout sequence...
"Practical Rehabilitation of Sensory Disorders"
There is a lot of uncertainty about the recovery of sensory impairment, but I believe that rehabilitative staff in hospitals and facilities are working hard to improve the symptoms of people with sensory impairment, even just a little bit.
Also, I think there are a lot of people who continue to recover from sensory impairments through voluntary training.
This time, I would like to introduce the sensory training that I actually practice.
What is important sensory training
▼ The action of finger tapping on the keyboard 
When I feel the need for sensory training, I talk to patients and clarify what they want to achieve in their recovery.
Of course, we also provide other aspects of rehabilitation support and support for activities of daily living.
For example, when typing on a computer keyboard as shown, blind touch becomes difficult if it is difficult to see where each finger is.
Also, it's hard to give movement commands for keyboard actions if you don't know which fingers are moving and how.
For those who have difficulty understanding how the fingers move or don't know how much each finger moves, place blocks of different heights under the fingers to feel the difference in height and compare the fingers. We provide support to feel the difference in exercise volume.
▼ How much force do you use to hold the bread without crushing it? 
Feeling isn't just about knowing your hands and feet are moving, it's also important to know how much force you're applying and how you feel when you're holding onto an object without dropping it.
When you hold a pan like in the photo, if it's too weak or too strong, you won't be able to hold it well.
You can also tell if the bread you're holding is not aligned with your fingertips.
When these sensations become blurred, you may be gripping the bread too tightly or dropping it. 
For those who have trouble understanding how much force is being applied, we practice using sponges of different hardness to feel the difference in force applied to the fingers.
More than 60% of people who have had a stroke are said to experience sensory disturbances, but they can be overlooked by rehab staff, or misinterpreted as simply weak.
Also, there are some realities that are not yet clear if sensory training is effective.
However, sensory impairment can cause all kinds of problems, so we want to continue to support people with sensory impairment through trial and error.
☆*:.｡. Thank you for reading to the end.｡.:*☆
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This article was reprinted on September 2 , 2022 on Aoi Hashima's blog " Stroke Rehabilitation Longevity Consultation Center " .