Hand stiffness

[Pinc]

My Mum's hands are now so tightly clenched! Has anyone else had this? What to do?

[NannaB]

Very common I think. My husband’s clenched and so did lots of older people I work with at a care home, not PSP. I don’t think there is anything you can do to stop it (others may know something different) but make sure your mum can hold something, rolled up soft face flannel, foam balls etc. Make sure her finger nails are short. I once unclenched a ladies hand to find her nails had dug into her palms breaking the skin. Keep them clean and make sure they are dried after washing, placing the soft cloth in the palm afterwards.

Best wishes

XxxX

[Pinc in reply to NannaB]

Thanks for the tips ...appreciated x

[Red1990]

Pinc,

My reply to Zibo's recent post has some overlapping info that I hope you read, but I am guessing your mother's gripping is a dystonia...more specifically, a focal dystonia. Her neurologist should be able to confirm or correct my guess. Dystonias are involuntary muscle contractions.

Hope this helps...googling, youtubing, and the fb support group may generate some treatment ideas for relief.

Good luck,

Karen

[Zibo in reply to Red1990]

interesting, Karen, to find your comment here as well, as my mother's feet are always rigid and kept upwards when she lays on her armchair. No matter how much I suggest to 'relax' them, she cannot do that. Again, another possible dystonia's symptoms. Thanks for your wisdom and care. Antonella

[Red1990 in reply to Zibo]

Antonella,

Yes, I found it interesting that you and Pinc posted on same topic, but different areas concurrently. I am still learning about the dystonia symptoms myself. My mother is exhibiting cervical dystonia, but I feel like her feet are effected, too.

Strange that the docs aren't very forthcoming in properly labelling this symptom of PSP. I felt as though I was interogating the MDS on last visit, but he confirmed.

I encourage you to study the topic. The dystonia support group on fb is a vibrant group. Sad situatiob though as some of them live a lifetime tortured by their dystonias.

Please share what you learn. Massage therapy has proven the most beneficial for us so far.

Best,

Karen

[Zibo in reply to Red1990]

thanks so much fro your guidance and suggestions. Wishing you all the best in the circumstances. Antonella

[Willow_rob]

Yes I had this issue with Mary. I had to cut her nails shorter because she was gouging her palms. I used hand cream to work my fingers to open her hand up a bit in order to massage them. She had no pain and relaxed a little. Hand hygiene is important so ensure you keep them clean. Her grip was famous amongst our visitors and caused much mirth as she could sneakily grab the unsuspecting.v

[Rowan8831]

NannaB’s comments are spot on I think. My husband has CBD and his hands are now very clenched and it is so challenging to prevent him getting sores. He has had 3 or 4 very deep sores on his fingers which have then got infected in spite of all our best efforts.

We have found keeping nails short, keeping palms and fingers clean by washing twice a day and drying thoroughly, using squashy toys to put in the palm to keep the hand from clenching are all crucial. Our current favourite is a stressless bus from the Greenwich Maritime Museum shop as it fits his hand perfectly!

However the best thing recently has been Botox injections from our neurologist which really help with the dystonia. With the dystonia in these brain conditions they cannot relax their hands voluntarily so the other thing that works is massage exercises we get from the physio. Baclofen helps but isn’t a solution.

Good luck with this and hope you find a way through.

Xx

[zls23]

My mom has CBD and tightly clenches her hands and feet. It was so bad this past summer that she pushed an entire fingernail askew. We have to keep her nails short and clean (disinfect) and dry her hands daily to prevent further issues. We try to give her rolled up towels to hold but often she is too agitated to do it.

[Espink50]

This will happen. They will get sweaty and smelly kept clean and dry. Lotion and powder helps. Try

Posey Posey Finger Contracture Cushion Keeps Fingers Separated Cotton 3X5 - Model 6560 by Posey on amazon

[Marilyn_cbd12]

Hello. I have two possibilities to share. My husband's muscle rigidity seems responsive to Sinemet - primarily in the extremities, like hands and feet, so he found that increasing the Carbidopa-Levidopa dosage helped with the hand clenching. His OT also prescribed an orthotic device which he can place on his right hand at night (he used to wake up with it tightly clenched). Right now his challenge is strength and dexterity in his fingers (zippers, buttons, etc), but so far we are coping.

Marilyn

[rnpacu in reply to Marilyn_cbd12]

Hi

[LuisRodicioRodicio]

Hi Pinc!

I agree with Red1990. On our experience, massage therapy has proven the most beneficial for us so far.

Hugs and luck.

Luis

[daddyt]

It is common as Nanna B states. Her recommendations are good. I experience this from time to time and will run my hand under warm to hot water, gently pry my fingers and massage them afterwards.

Tim

[JubileeRanch]

My husband clinches his left fist so tight, sometimes he puts his arm across his chest and clinches his shirt till it’s hopelessly wrinkled.....what I do is just say “relax your arm” and he usually does

[messier]

Dystonia is a strong feature of CBD. I guess this is another area of symptom cross-over. I discovered last week when I took mum to the physio that both her hand and arm could be relaxed if she lay in a comfortable position and was instructed to do gentle deep breathing. Asking her to relax them doesn't work as that brain path is broken. I was amazed to watch the arm that I can't pull straight if I put my weight on it, just unfurl with 'relaxing breathing'!