Can’t Lift the Wrist? Try This Wrist Extension Exercise 👦🏻💪🏽 | Hemiplegia Pediatric PT #4

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a retired pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. I’m excited for you to continue this series with someone truly one of a kind—this is Devan (Dev in this video). 👦🏻 His Momma Sue describes his mood as “sweet and sour.” I find him delightful, surprising, and challenging—all rolled into one. Hopefully, in these videos, you’ll get to see his sweet side. Devan is diagnosed with right hemiplegia from a perinatal left MCA stroke, along with a seizure disorder, aggressive behavior, muscle weakness, chronic insomnia disorder, ADHD, blindness in his right eye, developmental delay, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, autism, duplication of chromosome 16, hypertropia, poor impulse control, and anxiety. He receives private physical and occupational therapy, along with speech therapy and vision services through school, and vocational rehabilitation. He lives with his Momma Sue and Pop and attends virtual school due to behavioral limitations. Working with Devan has sharpened my skills and brought me a great deal of joy. I hope he will do the same for you. ✋ What You’ll See in This Video In this session, Dev works on **active wrist extension** using his right arm—one of the most challenging movements for individuals with hemiplegia. You’ll see: • Assistance into **end-range wrist flexion** to help trigger extension • Active attempts to lift into wrist extension • Support at end range where he cannot yet complete the movement independently • Use of **Pop’s hand as a visual target** for motivation and accuracy • Negotiation, humor, and shared control (including who gets to count 😄) • Redirection when Dev tries to share a little too much about Pop and Momma Sue 💡 Why This Helps Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy often prefer to hold the wrist in flexion, making active extension difficult. This activity: • Uses flexion to help activate extension • Targets a movement that is often very weak • Builds strength at end range where control is hardest • Encourages visual attention and motor planning • Supports improved hand use for functional tasks 🛠️ Practical Tips • Start in wrist flexion to improve success with extension • Provide assistance only as needed—especially at end range • Use a clear, motivating target • Expect limited active range initially • Allow the child to have some control within the activity • Keep it engaging—personality matters 👦🏻✨ 🧩 Watch the entire playlist for Devan here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjOIKzrx2Rj-qEsmTTeFtR-v ⚠️ Safety Note These videos are for educational purposes and are not a replacement for in-person physical therapy. Every child is unique. Please do not try these techniques if your child’s health or motor skills differ significantly from Devan’s. (I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child I have not personally evaluated.) 📧 Contact [amysturkey@gmail.com](mailto:amysturkey@gmail.com) 🌐 Website [www.pediatricPTexercises.com](http://www.pediatricPTexercises.com) 🪶 Accessibility Closed captions have been reviewed and corrected. To turn on captions: Click CC To change languages: ⚙️ Settings → Subtitles/CC → Choose language or Auto-translate If captions block important details, they can be toggled off in the video player. 📚 Books by Amy Sturkey (Amazon) P is for Poop and Pee Accidents – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 A is for Anxiety – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR C is for Cerebral Palsy – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP D is for Down Syndrome – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 A is for Autism – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB 🧠 Professional PT Books Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD