How do I teach myself to be ambidextrous?

Question

I'm right handed but I have carpal tunnel in both hands. It effects my right worse than it does my left. I need to use my left hand as much as I do my right hand now. So how do I teach myself that?

Answer 1

First try getting adjustments from a chiropractor that may help with the carpal tunnel.

Second you can learn to use your non-dominant hand the way you learned to write in the first place its called repetition.  You must repeat movements so they get hard wired in your brain.  Any time you learn something new you are placing a pathway in your brain.

By the way this is an aspect of life long learning and will benefit you if you can do it with out aggravating your Carpal tunnel.

Answer 2

it's unlikely you'll ever be truly ambidextrous.

however, you can start using your left hand more.

not easy, and there's no magic way of doing that.

you just have to put up with clumsy, knowing that it will get better over time.

that's the good news.

the bad news is that, as you use it more, the c/t may well get worse.

sorry.

Answer 3

You can't teach it, it's genetic!

Answer 4

I've noticed when I am very very stressed I will start doing things with both hands.

Put one of those squeeze balls in your right hand or carry something in your right hand at all times.

Start pouring water and writing with your left hand.

Listen to more music, especially binaural music that stimulates the right side of the brain.

Wear PINK or Yellow glasses like the hippies wore.

Basically doing like they do with children when they want to strengthen the eye muscle. Of course you can't put a patch over your wrist but you can keep it in a sling and force yourself to use it.

You can, it could take up to three weeks. Just imagine if you were a young guy and you were right handed and your right shoulder was in a brace for six weeks? :) :)  

you'll manage..

Answer 5

Practice is really the only option. Doing things with the left hand will teach you to do them with the left hand. Try catching a ball with your left hand, or play with any sort of one-handed toy. Writing is probably the most difficult...maybe using the mouse with the left hand is a good segueway to this?

Answer 6

Practice, a right handed friend of mine broke his right hand, and had to use his left hand for writing in class for 6 weeks, and he got good, and could even draw decently with his left hand by the time he got the cast off.

Answer 7

Practice.  That is the only way I know of.  Good luck with that carpal tunneling.  Maybe you should consider surgery.

Answer 8

Lots of practice doing anything you do with your right hand. I am considered to have a problem with authority (government psychological profile) which I have always had. I have learned to use it and one of the things that benefited me was that when I was in 5th grade I rebelled against the "right handed" mentality and refused to use my right hand much although I was right handed. It started with use of scissors and writing and progressed from there. At the end of the first Gulf War, I sustained severe nerve damage, loosing use of both hands. I had to learn to use my hands again and what I had spent many years doing with both hands had to again be relearned. With a lot of practice, I again can write, paint, use tools and even play pool again with both hands. I do not do as well as before due to limited function but the most beneficial part is being that the hands tire much faster as before, I am able to do much more than I would had I not been so stubborn and pushed myself to practice with both hands.

I hope that you are able to get help with the carpal tunnel, I have known a couple people who had very good results with an orthopedic surgeon. Learning to adapt by use of both hands is an excellent way to reduce the problem and even after surgery, help to keep the problem from reoccurring or at least as fast.

Good luck and have patiance, allow yourself to make mistakes, in time, the use gets better.

Answer 9

Rocky taught himself to fight right handed by tying his left hand behind his back when he trained.