Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS):Telephone: 0300 125 5951
Stroke Sub Acute Rehabilitation Unit (SSARU): Telephone: 0300 124 6295

Spasticity After Stroke

Understanding muscle stiffness after stroke and how therapy can help you stay mobile.

Spasticity is a common condition following a stroke that causes muscles to become tighter than normal. It can make movement more difficult, affect everyday activities and lead to joint stiffness if left untreated.

With the right treatment, exercises and self-management, many people can reduce the impact of spasticity and maintain their mobility.

Helping your brain reconnect with touch, texture and everyday sensations after a stroke.

Following a stroke, some people experience changes in sensation, making it harder to feel or recognise objects with their affected hand. Sensory rehabilitation uses structured exercises to help retrain the brain to interpret touch and improve hand function during everyday activities.

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What is Loss of Sensation After a Stroke?

A stroke can affect the nerves and areas of the brain responsible for processing touch and sensation.

This may cause your hand or arm to feel:

• Numb
• Less sensitive to touch
• Dull or “different”
• Less aware of temperature, texture or movement

Around 50–85% of people experience some degree of sensory loss after a stroke.

Reduced sensation can make everyday tasks such as dressing, eating, writing and handling objects more difficult.

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What is Sensory Rehabilitation?

Sensory rehabilitation is a therapy programme designed to help the brain relearn how to recognise different sensations.

Although research is still developing, studies suggest that regular sensory retraining may improve sensation following a stroke.

The exercises on this page are based on the Study of the Effectiveness of Neurorehabilitation on Sensation (SENse) programme.

Your Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist will advise whether these exercises are suitable for you.

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The Five-Step Sensory Exercise

Practise these exercises regularly using your affected hand. For the best results, your therapist may recommend completing them for around 60 minutes each day over four weeks.

1. Explore

Close your eyes and pick up an object from your sensory box using your affected hand.

Spend around 20 seconds feeling the object. Think about its texture, shape, size or weight.

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2. Calibrate

Now hold the same object with your unaffected hand.

Compare how it feels and use this as a reference for what your affected hand is trying to recognise.

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3. Anticipate

Return the object to your affected hand.

Try to imagine how the object should feel based on what you experienced with your unaffected hand.

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4. Feedback

Open your eyes and look at the object.

Seeing the object provides your brain with additional information to reinforce learning.

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5. Repeat

Repeat the same process with different objects and textures in your sensory box.

Regular practice helps strengthen your brain’s ability to interpret sensory information.

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Building Your Sensory Box

Your therapist may provide a sensory box containing a variety of objects to explore.

You can also create your own using safe household items.

Weight

Try objects with different weights, such as:

• Water bottles filled to different levels
• Food tins
• Small household items

Texture

Include a variety of surfaces, for example:

• Towels
• Fleece
• Velvet
• Lycra
• Wooden spoons
• Metal cutlery

Temperature

Explore safe temperature differences using:

• Hand warmers
• Containers of warm or cool water
• Other therapist-approved items

Shape and Size

Practise identifying different objects such as:

• Cutlery (using a blunt knife)
• Coins
• Paperclips
• Pasta shapes
• Small objects hidden in a bowl of rice

Everyday Tasks

You can also practise recognising common fastenings, including:

• Buttons
• Zips
• Velcro

These activities help transfer sensory skills into everyday life.

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Tracking Your Progress

Keeping a record of your practice can help you see improvements over time.

You may wish to record:

• The date of each session
• The number of repetitions completed
• How many objects you correctly identified
• Any notes about how the exercises felt

Your therapist may review your progress during appointments and adapt your programme as you improve.

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Tips for Success

To get the most from sensory rehabilitation:

• Practise regularly.
• Work in a quiet environment with minimal distractions.
• Take your time to focus on each object.
• Use a wide variety of textures, shapes and weights.
• Be patient—improvements often happen gradually with consistent practice.

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Further Information

If you have any questions or if the exercises cause pain or discomfort, please speak to your Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist.

Community Stroke Service

Telephone: 0300 124 6301

Stroke Sub-Acute Rehabilitation Unit

Telephone: 0300 124 6295

For feedback or general enquiries:

Telephone: 0300 124 5300

Email: sirona.hello@nhs.net