Hand therapy intervention activities for Chemo-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN)
Filed under Treatments
Blog Post Written By: Rita Steffes
Patients with CIPN may present with symptoms that include numbness, tingling, hypersensitivity to cold, loss of tactile or vibration sensitivity, decreased balance, and shooting burning pain in their hands These symptoms make it difficult for oncology patients to participate in all activities of daily living with dressing, meal preparation, writing, and texting. Research supports that intervention planning for patients with CIPN benefit from a combination of sensorimotor training, resistance training, and endurance training.
- Coin rice search with a towel covering the bowl: This enhances the patient’s sensory system and tactile awareness while being desensitized to the tactile input of the rice.

- Button book: Patients experiencing CIPN may have difficulties completing dressing tasks with buttons and zippers due to loss of tactile awareness and numbness. This activity increases fine motor coordination with sensory input from the activities materials, allowing patients to work on the functional task of buttoning and unbuttoning different sized buttons.

- Vibration tools: Patients may benefit from sensorimotor activities that promote vibrational input, helping to increase awareness and help with numbness and pain.

- Table sled: The patient works to push this sled back and forth promoting a push and pull motion. This activity is a great intervention for resistance training individualized for the client by easily being able to increase or decrease with weights on the sled that match the needed resistance for the patient.

Tofthagen, C., Visovsky, C., and Rodriguez, R. (2017). Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: An algorithm to guide nursing management. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing 17 (2), 138-144. DOI 10.1188/13.CJON.138-144
Kleckner, I. R., Park, S. B., Streckmann, F., Wiskemann, J., Hardy, S., and Mohile, N. (2021). Clinical and practical recommendations in the use of exercise, physical therapy, and occupational therapy for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (peripheral neuropathy occupational therapy).
2 Comments
Leave a Comment
More To Read
Differentiating Proximal Median Nerve Entrapment from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
By: Brittany Day Proximal Median Nerve Entrapment, Pronator Syndrome, or Lacertus Syndrome? Pronator syndrome is a term used to describe proximal median nerve entrapment (PMNE) in the forearm. Pronator syndrome and lacertus syndrome are sometimes used interchangeably to describe proximal median nerve entrapment distal to the ligament of Struthers and proximal to the flexor superficialis…
Read MoreWhich is better for DeQuervain’s: Splinting or Injection?
Rapid Review Cavaleri, R., Schabrun, S. M., Te, M., & Chipchase, L. S. (2016). Hand therapy versus corticosteroid injections in de Quervain’s disease treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of hand therapy: official journal of the American Society of Hand Therapists, 29(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2015.10.004 The Skinny: DeQuervain’s Tenosynovitis is a stenosing tenosynovial inflammation affecting the…
Read MoreHand Function in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Rapid Review
Osumi, M., Sumitani, M., Abe, Hiroaki, A., Otake, Y., Kumagaya, S.-I., & Morioka, S. (2019). Kinematic evaluation for impairment of skilled hand function in chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy. Journal of Hand Therapy. (32)1, 41-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2017.06.003 By: Rita Steffes The Skinny: Chemotherapy has many lasting side effects (one of which is hand numbness after chemotherapy), with…
Read MoreSign-up to Get Updates Straight to Your Inbox!
Sign up with us and we will send you regular blog posts on everything hand therapy, notices every time we upload new videos and tutorials, along with handout, protocols, and other useful information.
I have a patient with exactly this problem so great timing for this post! Some great ideas to make an interesting and fun programme for them.
Awesome! Glad it was helpful!