SAEBO Therapy

They may look like gloves Freddy Kruger and Edward Scissor hands would consider highly fashionable, but they are in fact two splints created by the American company, SAEBO. I've been aware of similar hand gym styled therapy systems, but I've never seen a glove like the SaeboFlex with the ability to lift open your fingers.

Anyone that has suffered a stroke, has celebral palsy or a spinal/head injury will probably tell you one of the biggest and hardest physical problems is the inability to open their hand. Unfortunately this leads to dependence on the stronger side and a neglect of the weaker side. Therapists will probably say this is down to the determination of the patient and that if enough energy was put into using the weaker hand, than automatically relying on the dominant, more progress could be made. This is all very well, but it's pointless to ask someone to attempt brushing their teeth with their weak hand if they cannot open it to grasp the brush. The SaeboFlex looks like it may hold some promise in this respect. The springs appear to pull open the fingers, so you would have to consciously exert a lot of force to close your fingers tight.

My initial dismay was that this was only available in America, but to my delight there is a list on their site for centres in the UK who have SAEBO devices and administer therapy courses: take a look at the list.