Upper limb care
Date issued: February 2025
For review: February 2027
Ref: C-610/NB/Physiotherapy/Upper limb care
PDF: Upper limb care.pdf [pdf] 231KB
Positioning of upper limb
When you are resting, always make sure your arm is elevated slightly, ideally on a pillow or on a table. That is to prevent gravity pulling your arm down and subluxating your shoulder, which can lead to pain and other complications. It also creates a habit of paying attention to your arm and preventing injuring it unintentionally.
Watch Handling and positioning of a hemiplegic upper limb in sitting
Self-assisted exercises
Perform these exercises twice daily or more. You can do them while in bed or when sitting out in chair. They will assure your arm will not get tight, prevent excessive pain, reduce swelling.
You can also ask your family to do them for you. For stretching exercises your family can do watch Post-Stroke Exercises (Part 1: Upper Limb)
Remember, when you are stretching your arm it is important to move slowly, feel the stretch (may be uncomfortable) but not pushing into pain.
View the Upper limb care PDF for exercise images.
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Massage: Use some cream or massage oil and stroke your hand, forearm and arm in the direction of your shoulder. Spend 5-10 minutes doing that. Next, stretch each individual finger out and back in.
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Support your arm at the wrist. Take arm up in front of you as far as you comfortably can. Repeat 10 times
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Support arm at wrist. Bend elbow as far as possible. Straighten elbow as far as possible. Repeat 10 times
Sling Care Plan
Your arm sling should only be used when you are mobilizing and then taken off when you are resting in bed or in a chair. That is to prevent your arm getting tight in a position of 90 degree elbow flexion and internal rotation.
You can wash your sling in a washing machine cool setting or by hand with soap and water. Make sure it is fully dry before using it again.
