Somatoparaphrenia and Hand Rehabilitation

Somatoparaphrenia is a type of monothematic delusion where one denies ownership of a limb or an entire side of one’s body.

Even if provided with undeniable proof that the limb belongs to and is attached to their own body, the patient produces elaborate confabulations about whose limb it really is or how the limb ended up on their body.

 In some cases, delusions become so elaborate that a limb may be treated and cared for as if it were a separate being.

Discussing the causes of such a phenomenon, It has been suggested that damage to the posterior cerebral regions (temporoparietal junction) of the cortex may play a significant role in the development of somatoparaphrenia.

Regarding its symptoms, somatoparaphrenia has been reported to occur predominantly in the left arm of one’s body, and it is often accompanied by left-sided paralysis and anosognosia (denial or lack of awareness) of the paralysis.

following the surgical operations that Somatoparaphrenia patients go through. They are often encouraged to receive a novel multidisciplinary treatment, including motor rehabilitation training, traditional physiotherapy and robotic rehabilitation using specialized Rehabilitation Robot Gloves.

At the end of the training, patients are estimated to improve in global cognitive functioning, mood, motor abilities, and the perception of themselves and their bodies, reducing the sense of estrangement and repulsion towards their limb.

Viewing such difficult somatoparaphrenia cases where patients are almost unaware and so not very responsive to the physical activities provided, a highly-professional and effective device should be used to guarantee improvement as fast as possible so that patients reprocess their body’s overall status and regain awareness and sensation with their limbs.

In this regard, the hand rehabilitation devices: SIFREHAB-1.1 and SIFREHAB-1.0 are recommended as the best model options capable of scoring noticeable improvement among somatoparaphrenia patients in no time.

These hand rehabilitation devices mobilize the affected hand/arm and work both in flexion and extension. Even on the patient who has no active residual movement typically like somatoparaphrenia patients, it is possible to apply passive mobilization from the first stages of treatment all thanks to their software that offers many possibilities for the customization of the therapy.

In the same way, the SIFREHAB-1.0 Portable Rehabilitation Robotic Gloves would increase force in the direction the user wishes to move (open or close his fingers to avoid contractures and promote skin elasticity).

The following home rehabilitation equipment can also give resistance in the opposite direction, which can aid in movement stabilization and hand muscle tone exercises.

In simpler terms, the design might be used for a variety of needs and users, including somatoparaphrenia patients.

SIFREHAB-1.0 and SIFREHAB-1.1, in short, provide low-cost, safe, intensive, and task-oriented rehabilitation through home therapy, which can improve treatment efficacy by incorporating the recovery of daily-living-activity functions as well as a home environment alternation.

As such, both advantages would be of high value for somatoparaphrenia patients since it takes too much time for them to understand that the affected limb is theirs.

To summarize, Somatoparaphrenia is a disorder of body perception and if left untreated, severe complications might happen affecting the rest of the sane body parts.

Another issue is that this disease’s patients might take a lot of time to process their health condition and so they require an extended, extensive long-term treatment that should preferably take place at home.

If these patients are still hesitant about the appropriate treatment plan they should follow, then they can think of the SIFREHAB-1.0 and SIFREHAB-1.1 Rehabilitation Robot Gloves as the most suitable alternatives since it will help them improve their symptoms over time by performing hand therapy exercises independently at home.

Reference: Somatoparaphrenia