Choosing The Best Hand Therapy Tools for Neuromuscular Reeducation: 8 Key Factors To Guide Your Decision

Hand therapy tools for neuromuscular reeducation are valuable tools for your clinic. When searching for your next hand therapy tool purchase, here are eight factors you should look for to find the right one for you.

The options of hand therapy tools for neuromuscular reeducation are seemingly endless. A quick online search often leads to countless online retailers, and the subsequent product descriptions can be misleading.

In the world of neuromuscular reeducation, the quality and design of these tools matter; there are far too many gimmick devices out there. To help narrow down your search options, here’s what you should look for in a high-quality hand therapy tool for neuromuscular reeducation.

Is the Hand Therapy Tool for Neuromuscular Reeducation Evidence-Based?

As clinicians, we’re bound by ethics use evidence-based clinical tools in practice. Our patients deserve the best, and we want to give them the best. When looking at hand therapy tools, the question is, what does this particular device help me address and how? Is this application based on sound clinical reasoning?
Large-scale online retailers create descriptions that are enticing, promising, and hopeful with the goal of driving sales. Unfortunately, just because a tool sounds effective for a population doesn’t mean it is really evidence-based. Your best bet in finding legitimate and worthwhile hand therapy equipment starts by researching the maker.

Reputable therapeutic equipment manufacturers will provide detailed descriptions of the clinical reasoning behind the product, photos or video demonstrations, relevant research, and testimonials. These marketing elements help establish rapport with a potential customer. I know I don’t just speak for myself when I say I feel better about committing to a purchase after I have the whole picture.

How Versatile Is the Hand Therapy Tool for Neuromuscular Reeducation Applications?

As an OT, I’ve seen countless “groundbreaking” tools quickly collect dust in the corner of the therapy gym. These tools might be difficult to service, only work in a specific scenario, or have a significant setup time. These are some of the reasons I find myself reaching for something else to accomplish a session.

Hand therapy equipment is no different. Hand therapy tools that can be used with multiple populations holds substantially more value when they are utilized across a spectrum rather than one-off cases. This equipment also needs to be easy to set up, use, integrate, and service, especially if it contains electronic components.

Investing in a few versatile, durable, and multi-functional tools is often the best option for a busy clinic. We want to avoid purchasing several smaller, single-function tools that take up valuable clinic space.

Having versatile tools and integrating occasional in-services can also help therapists avoid a treatment rut. Intentional tool selection leads to more personalized treatment sessions and, in turn, greater patient engagement.

A therapeutic equipment company that demonstrates a healthy investment in their product development is a huge green flag. The biggest indicator for this is a company that employs therapists and keeps them engaged not only in customer training but also in the product development process. Clinician input is essential to inform shaping a new product, or a new revision.  Staying in tune with the real life needs of the modern clinic makes all the difference in contributing to an optimal design.

How Does the Hand Therapy Tool Incorporate Neuromuscular Reeducation?

Neuromuscular reeducation (NMR) is a specific approach to take with patients. This technique is most relevant when a patient is dealing with an upper or lower motor neuron condition or peripheral nerve damage after an orthopedic procedure or injury. Spinal cord injuries, stroke, connective tissue disorders, traumatic reattachments or tendon repairs, and even degenerative conditions like multiple sclerosis all typically involve NMR.

In hand therapy, NMR helps integrate the mind-body connection with functional performance. It focuses on restoring movement patterns by isolating and challenging specific movement execution¹. Proprioception, sensorimotor function, and numerous other components all make up NMR and lead to greater hand and digit stability within functional tasks¹. Strengthening the affected muscle groups is only one stage of rehabilitation. The ability to use that muscle in a functional movement pattern to accomplish a task, such as brushing one’s teeth or reaching for a coffee cup, is what helps a patient participate in life as fully as possible again.

Major areas I consider when evaluating a hand therapy tool for neuromuscular reeducation are the shape, the material, the generalization aptitude, and any novel features. The shape influences the patient’s hand grip, muscle isolation, positioning, and proprioceptive intake. The more versatile the grip or positioning, the wider the application. The material of a hand therapy tool matters a great deal to me, especially in a hospital setting. It has to be easy to clean but also provide a certain level of tactile input. Slippery surfaces and weak distal control or poor proprioceptive registration don’t usually mix well.

How Durable Is the Hand Therapy Tool?

As therapists, we see dozens of patients a day and we need equipment that lasts through heavy, regular use. Treatment equipment doesn’t do any good if it’s out of commission. It can be very frustrating if a tool constantly requires troubleshooting. When deciding on what hand therapy equipment to invest in, pay attention to the material, makeup, and components. You’ll want to select a sturdy, well-executed product that will stand up to consistent daily use. Use your judgement as you see and feel the product to determine whether it passes this level of scrutiny and feels like a fit for your clinic.

Does the Hand Therapy Tool Maker Offer Warranties and Support?

Warranties, customer support, and onboarding need to be considered as well. Check to see what’s included in the warranty, such as parts replacement and repairs, and how long the guarantee lasts. You may not need customer support for simple tools, but advanced therapeutic devices should come with customer support. When evaluating an equipment provider, it should be easy to find the ‘Contact Us’ or ‘Customer Support’ pages.

Certain hand therapy tools may require some onboarding to learn how to use them. Find out what sort of training is provided, whether live sessions, online resources, or both. Technology that requires clinical training may indeed be a great addition to your clinic. Still, the time and training investment needs to be worth it in application.

What’s My Budget for Hand Therapy Tools for Neuromuscular Reeducation?

Equipment quality, cost, and return on investment are all important when choosing your next hand therapy tool for neuromuscular reeducation. Some pieces are relatively inexpensive and easy to get approved. However, keep in mind that with medical devices, cheaper usually isn’t better. The more advanced, versatile, and thoughtfully produced a piece of equipment is, the higher the price tag. For you, that also means greater scrutiny on the ROI. In short, you need to be able to show how investing in this equipment will benefit your clinic.

In your hand therapy tool search, you may need to create a proposal for the new equipment purchase. Convincing your clinic to invest in high-end hand therapy tools for neuromuscular reeducation can be daunting, to say the least.

Showcasing the versatility and wide applications of that equipment can help immensely in a proposal. Include benefits like greater efficiency, offering a new service, and reimbursement potential. These points can all help make a solid case for such an investment.

Is the Hand Therapy Tool Fun for Patients?

Patients have significantly better therapeutic outcomes when they genuinely enjoy the intervention². Perceived value correlates with more robust engagement, overall satisfaction, and improved therapeutic alliance². As an Occupational Therapist myself, I want to create that value whenever I can for my patients. If they’re enjoying their session, I know they’re going to benefit more from it.

When looking at therapeutic equipment, patient experience has to be considered alongside other factors. Something as niche and intricate as hand therapy tools for neuromuscular reeducation needs to have a strongly positive association. The more fun it is, the more the patient is going to want to participate. This engagement leads to improved outcomes, better tolerance, and greater participation.

As research expands further with immersive technology, video games, and virtual or augmented reality are becoming more prevalent in therapeutic settings. Video games’ immersive qualities can bridge certain therapeutic holes with certain populations³. Game-based systems are also proving to be extremely clinically effective in upper extremity stroke rehabilitation⁴. In fact, it just might surpass traditional physical therapy and occupational therapy interventions in this regard^4,5.

Capri Hand Therapy Gaming

An example of a video-game-based hand therapy tool for neuromuscular reeducation that integrates biofeedback, advanced metrics, and a bucketload of fun is the Capri. The Capri is an advanced therapeutic device that is designed to rehabilitate the upper extremities and provide novel NMR opportunities in a compact, gamified system. It’s portable, easily paired with dynamic arm supports such as a SAEBO-MAS, and features progress reporting to track quantitative patient outcomes.

Patients play through a series of video games with a variety of attachments for varying grips, proprioceptive feedback, and motor learning integration. Change up the grips, movement, and dynamic planes to grade an activity up or down as necessary. What I really like about this piece of equipment is that the games help isolate specific movement patterns inherently. This isolation allows that pattern specifically to be engaged in a repetitive scenario and further allows for maximal neuroplastic effects. Learn more and get a quote for this hand therapy tool for neuromuscular reeducation tool here.

How Does the Hand Therapy Tool Fit Into My Documentation?

Therapists have to document effective use of time, patient engagement, and outcomes toward functional goals, or we risk insurance denying reimbursement. Documentation isn’t always an enjoyable part of the job, but it is a crucial one. When deciding what hand therapy equipment to use, it needs to be able to provide substantial material for documentation. Some equipment can provide quantitative metrics that are connected to functional measures. You can explain other things through neuromuscular reeducation terms such as motor pattern execution, improvement in proximal stability, or translation to functional tasks.

One of my favorite ways to demonstrate progress toward a functional goal is by documenting how I grade interventions. Performance tracking still demonstrates progress, even if that progress hasn’t translated to an improvement in assessment scores just yet.

Many equipment options offer different objective data, progress tracking, and patient profiles. All are reasonable expectations for a piece of high-end hand therapy equipment to be provided as a standard package. These features can also bolster potential proposals for purchase.

Conclusion

As clinicians, we have a duty to research the products we want to use in practice. When it concerns hand therapy tools for neuromuscular reeducation, it’s imperative that the design, versatility, durability, and resulting ROI are all up to par. We want our patients to have fun while optimizing therapeutic outcomes.

Therapeutic gaming systems are one of the top options for integration into a treatment plan. Even more importantly, gaming interventions are supported by sound clinical reasoning in hand therapy. The Capri is a fantastic option to start using in outpatient, home health, inpatient rehab settings, and more.

As therapists we have to execute due diligence and ensure our documentation is supported when using this equipment. Especially if it’s high-end and we’re proposing its purchase as a significant investment. Choosing a hand therapy tool for neuromuscular reeducation that’s evidence-based, versatile, and objective is a powerful investment that will yield significant returns for your patients and for your clinic.

 

Mary Vieregge, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist and freelance writer based in Eastern North Carolina. She has experience in a range of settings, from inpatient rehabilitation to long-term care, with a concentration in neurorehabilitation and spinal cord injury populations. Mary is passionate about patient education and innovative practices, is constantly searching for the latest and greatest to add to her clinical toolbox, and enjoys connecting over LinkedIn or UpWork.