Need anti-bored ideas while wrist injury is healing.

March 19, 2010 12:49 PM

Need anti-bored ideas while wrist injury is healing.

Ms. vegetable fell and sprained her dominant wrist and is in a splint for another 4-6 weeks. She is not allowed to use this hand at all, and she is running out of one-handed ideas. She can read hardbacked books, type very slowly with her nondominant hand, and watch movies. That's kinda it. She can't knit, crochet, bake, papercraft, or really clean/pickup/organize, which are things she enjoys doing. She needs help with ideas for what she can do besides shopping. Help, please?

posted by a robot made out of meat to grab bag (16 answers total)

Lots of Wii games can be played one-handed with the wiimote.
posted by Think_Long at 12:59 PM on March 19, 2010

Aside from hardbacked books, this is one of the things a Kindle or Kindle-substitute (including an iPhone or similar) is great for. She only needs to tap a button to flip the page, and it might take the stress off of the other hand when holding a heavier book open. (Be very careful that she doesn't overstress her other hand to compensate, regardless of the activity!)

I certainly don't mean to counter her doctor's indication, but are you sure she can't crochet? I've had friends who have limited movement do crochet and knit, and as long as she's not gripping tightly or doing it while her wrist is unsupported, it might be a possibility.

Going for walks?

Very careful Dance Dance Revolution?
posted by Madamina at 1:00 PM on March 19, 2010

Begin teaching herself how to write with the other hand.

Even as an ambi, this is a skill I kicked myself for not starting early on. And she'll be amazed (and frustrated) at both how easy and hard it is, and how entertaining it can be as an exercise.
posted by strixus at 1:04 PM on March 19, 2010 [1 favorite]

When my wife was on bedrest, she used to listen to audiobooks on her iPod from Audible and iTunes and watch a ton of streamed Netflix and Hulu television shows on our laptop. We tried some puzzles, but she rapidly grew bored with them. She also took a couple of Pimsleur audio courses, and looked at Mango.

If Ms. Vegetable likes walking in parks, might that be an option? She doesn't need to use her hand for that. :)

She also became quite good at directing. ;)
posted by zarq at 1:07 PM on March 19, 2010

My wife, that is. :)
posted by zarq at 1:07 PM on March 19, 2010

What about physical activity? Walking, running, dancing. Or if she's inclined to traditional "work-out" type activities, do squats and lunges, jump rope, do sit-ups, the plank, etc. A lot of step aerobics would still be doable if she wants to take a class. Keeping moving would keep me from going crazy.
posted by decathecting at 1:07 PM on March 19, 2010

I had my right arm immobilized for three months once - learning to draw and sketch with my left hand was kind of fun. I was surprised by how odd it felt.
posted by Tchad at 1:09 PM on March 19, 2010 [1 favorite]

Not sure how much help this is but : Thumb Thing Book Holder might assist with some of those pesky paperbacks...
posted by citywolf at 1:10 PM on March 19, 2010

If the weather's nice enough to be out and about... one-handed photography might not be impossible. Especially if you had a lightweight, toy camera. It's creative, and it might make long walks more interesting.
posted by ann_disaster at 1:16 PM on March 19, 2010

If she has an iphone she can compose music! Set her up with audacity and some apps. You'll also need an 1/8" cable.

(there are tons of cool music making apps and one need not be a musician to produce interesting and complex sounds)
posted by archivist at 1:19 PM on March 19, 2010

-audacity is installed on the laptop and the 1/8" cable is used to connect the phone to the laptop. Sorry, should have been more clear about what I had in mind.
posted by archivist at 1:29 PM on March 19, 2010

If she likes needlework, maybe she could take up embroidery with this sit-on style hoop.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 1:29 PM on March 19, 2010

strixus: Begin teaching herself how to write with the other hand.

This! I broke my right wrist as an adult and it sucked large, but I taught myself to write with my left hand and do pretty much everything one handed. It's valuable now I've got a baby and it took a good long while as well. Cooking is really difficult but is doable, albeit very very slowly. And don't do things with high heat/quick actions. A simple cupcake recipe is easy enough AND she can futz around icing the things with her left hand. Simple embroidery is doable as well if she's got a hoop and can hold it down with the splinted hand.

i would have loved a Wii or being able to read ebooks on my phone at that point though. That would have been awesome.

(As forewarning, after the break I was no longer able to replicate my signature for some reason and ended up replacing all of my cards.)
posted by geek anachronism at 3:40 PM on March 19, 2010

While I was recovering from a broken wrist last year I bought a trainer for my bike, that way I could still exercise without falling over. I also invested a lot of time in watching whole tv series (The Wire, Mad Men, Skins, Sopranos...) that people raved about but I never thought I'd have the time to watch.
posted by Unred at 4:31 PM on March 19, 2010

If you have a lightweight point & click camera, how about photography?

I learned to use a computer mouse with either hand. Maybe surfing the internet or certain computer games? Catch up on those crafty blogs! Hey, you could probably play through Dragon Age entirely with a mouse and one-finger typing.

It took about 2-3 days to work my left hand up to the same level as my right hand (though I'd be awful at fast detailed clicking for first person shooters or PhotoShop). I like to switch mouse buttons so the index finger is always the main click.

Seconding the ideas for some kind of sports or outdoor activity, it's spring!
posted by SarahbytheSea at 4:52 PM on March 19, 2010

when my left ankle was casted, I learned to shoot a basketball with my left hand (preparation for learning left handed layups once I was allowed to walk again).

anything you can do with your main hand you should learn to do with your off hand - it's really good for your brain. try learning to juggle one-handed - first one ball, then two.

you can still bat other-handed, play tennis, or whatever. sure, you'll suck bad at first, but it's a laugh to try to learn. also, if she likes bicycling, she could try spinning - you don't need both hands because the bike is on a stand.
posted by toodleydoodley at 6:48 PM on March 19, 2010