Helping Hemi Hands

Helping Hemi Hands Nikki Owen is a specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist working in child development and neurology. Specialist in early years, pre and post SDR and CIMT

Evidence based children physiotherapy service supporting family's to achive their child's full potential through fun play based therapy.

🎉 So proud of this little star! 🌟 She’s making phenomenal progress in her upper limb therapy sessions and is now working...
06/09/2026

🎉 So proud of this little star! 🌟

She’s making phenomenal progress in her upper limb therapy sessions and is now working on her next functional goal of controlling her mirror movements enough to pincer with her left hand and open packets.

With determination, she threaded beads and tackled fine motor skills with a fun bracelet set found in Lidl. 💪

Her journey has been inspiring... what once was a total fist is now blossoming into a helping hand! Keep shining bright! ✨

🌟 Ready to boost your child's upper limb therapy at home?We know finding time for therapy activities can feel like one m...
03/09/2026

🌟 Ready to boost your child's upper limb therapy at home?

We know finding time for therapy activities can feel like one more thing on an already full plate. That's why we've put together a week of simple activities you can set up in just 20 minutes a day, using things you likely already have around the house.

Every child's hand function and goals look different, so feel free to adapt these to suit where your little one is at right now. Whether you're working on early grasp, encouraging spontaneous use of the affected hand, or building up to more complex bimanual tasks, small consistent moments really do add up.

Let us know in the comments how you get on or tag us in your photos, we'd love to see! 💪✨

02/09/2026

"What if my child hates upper limb therapy?" 😅

It's one of the most common worries we hear from parents, and it makes total sense; nobody wants to spend precious time and energy pushing their child through something that feels like a battle every day.

Here's the reassuring part: therapy doesn't have to look like therapy at all.

Take a look at this video... that's genuine giggling you're hearing, not gritted teeth. Every one of these children is working on real skills: grasp, spontaneous use of the affected hand, bimanual coordination. But to them, it just looks and feels like play.

When therapy is disguised as fun, kids stop resisting it and start asking for more. If your child is currently pushing back on their sessions, it might not be about them, it might be about how it's being presented.

We'd love to hear how you make therapy fun in your house... drop your tips in the comments below! 👇

27/08/2026

Client: [redacted for privacy, but you know who you are 🤭]

Intervention: sensory exploration using dry rice, targeting use of the affected hand

Observation: child explored sensory material, demonstrating engaged, repeated interaction with the medium using the hemiplegic hand

What the notes conveniently leave out: "engaged, repeated interaction" was rice being thrown across the room over and over, with absolutely no sign of stopping 🍚😂

But behind the mess, there's real progress. Every grip, scoop, and throw is a chance for the affected hand to be used spontaneously and successfully... which is exactly what we're working towards in therapy. Sensory play like this is a brilliant, playful way to build strength, grasp and confidence in the hemiplegic hand, it just rarely looks as calm and controlled as it sounds written down.

Send a dustpan. 🙃🤣

23/08/2026

POV: you've had a tough day as a specialist paediatric physiotherapist, but you don't smoke 🫧

So you reach for the bubbles instead. (Which, conveniently, also happen to be a great bimanual therapy tool... but today they're strictly for de-stressing)

Anyone else's "calm down" tool also doubles as something they hand out in every session? 😅

18/08/2026

Challenge: can you do these everyday tasks using only one hand?

In this video we tried some things most of us do daily, without a second thought... peeling a banana, opening a snack packet, unscrewing a lid, brushing our teeth and tying a shoelace; but there's a catch... it all had to be one handed.

It's genuinely difficult. Tasks that normally take seconds suddenly take real concentration, patience and problem solving.

Did you spot the cheating? Bracing something against our body, using a table edge, even reaching for our teeth to help out; those little "cheats" aren't laziness, they're our brains automatically finding a workaround when a hand isn't available. It's exactly the same kind of problem solving children with hemiplegia use every single day.

For them, though, this isn't just a challenge; it's daily life. Their hemiplegic hand doesn't work the same way their dominant hand does, so tasks like these require constant adapting, and honestly, a huge amount of skill and resilience that often goes unnoticed.

This is exactly why upper limb therapy is so important. It's not about replacing the dominant hand, it's about helping the hemiplegic hand become a helping hand, so that everyday two-handed tasks become more achievable.

Give the challenge a go yourself and see how you get on — we'd love to hear how it went! 💜

| Hemiplegia | CIMT | bimanual therapy | pediatric OT | pediatric PT | Cerebral Palsy | Brain Injury | PVL | helping hemi hands | One handed challenge | Early intervention | Neuroplasticity |

17/08/2026

Nikki here... as a specialist paediatric physiotherapist, I'm often asked what's actually worth investing in when you're supporting a child with hemiplegia. Here are my honest top 5:

1. Bimanual toys suited to your child's current stage. You can technically use almost anything for CIMT, but choosing a toy that matches your child's stage and goal makes a real difference to their progress.

2. The right therapist, or a specialist in your child's condition. Hemiplegia is a genuinely niche area within paediatric PT/OT. Not every therapist is trained in the outcome measures used, or has the hands on experience to give you the best advice for your child.

3. A good storage solution for all your child's toys. It sounds small, but staying organised makes therapy at home so much easier to keep up with. It also helps to be able to easily do toy rotations to prevent reluctance or boredom.

4. Specialist seating (this one should actually be provided by the NHS). A stable, supported base means your child can put their effort into improving upper limb skills, rather than spending it just trying to stay stable.

5. Special interest toys. If your child has a favourite theme such as dinosaurs or princesses, it's worth picking up a few related toys or items, even something as simple as stickers. Before we start any programme, we always find out what a child is genuinely interested in, because that extra bit of motivation can make a real difference.

What would you add to this list? 💜

Happy Left Hander's Day 🖐️ 💜 "Maybe they're just left-handed."It's something a lot of our parents hear and it's rarely t...
13/08/2026

Happy Left Hander's Day 🖐️ 💜

"Maybe they're just left-handed."

It's something a lot of our parents hear and it's rarely that simple.

Did you know that before age 2, a baby shouldn't really have a hand preference at all, and handedness generally isn't settled until around age 4. In a child with hemiplegia, one hand is simply harder to use, so the brain starts favouring the easier side. That side gets more practice and more success, while the other side gets less and over time, harder to use. This is known as learned non-use.

Here's the encouraging part: the affected hand still has so much potential. Therapy like CIMT works to rewire the brain to rediscover use of the hemiplegic side, while bimanual therapy teaches both hands to work together in everyday tasks. It's never about forcing a child, it's about creating opportunities for that side to be used again.

If you've ever been told your child is "just left-handed," we hope this gives you a bit more context.

Feel free to save or share this with another parent who might need it. 💜

🧠 Your Baby's Brain, By The Numbers!Did you know?A baby has 85 billion neurons at birth!2,500 → 15,000 synapses per neur...
12/08/2026

🧠 Your Baby's Brain, By The Numbers!

Did you know?

A baby has 85 billion neurons at birth!
2,500 → 15,000 synapses per neuron by age 3.
50% more brain connections in early childhood than adulthood!

This is why early intervention is crucial with more connections than in adulthood. 💜

Let’s embrace those little moments of growth together; visit www.helpinghemihands.co.uk for more information on ways we can support! 🙌

10/08/2026

Only have 5 minutes for therapy today? Here’s 1 activity, 3 ways 🌸 🎨

Grab paint and paper and try dotted flower art three ways:

🖌️ Cotton tips; dip and dab, works fine motor control and pincer grasp

☁️ Cotton wool balls; a softer squeeze, works tripod grasp

🖊️ Paint pens; great for early grasp, plus bonus bimanual points for taking off the lid and twisting them up

If other hand is holding the paper steady, that’s bimanual coordination happening too. Small, playful reps like this are exactly what helps rewire the brain to use the affected Hemi hand more.

5 minutes can still make the brain and hand work together!

Save this for your next quick-therapy day 💜

Address

Edgeley
Stockport
SK39

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 9am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

+447971425148

Website

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