Hand Therapy
Your hands are important to everything you do – work, sports, hobbies and simple activities of daily living. Whether you have a hand injury or you’re recovering from hand surgery, what you want most is successful recovery and as complete a return to function as possible. The specialized hand therapists at East End Occupational Therapy are the solution and can provide customized advanced care designed to get you functioning again. Whether you suffer from trigger finger, a crush-type injury, fracture, contracture, tendon laceration or carpal tunnel syndrome, we will tailor a treatment program for your specific post-injury or postsurgical challenges and lifestyle needs.
What is Hand Therapy?
“Hand Therapy is the art and science of rehabilitation of the upper limb, which includes the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder girdle. It is the merging of occupational and physical therapy theory and practice that combine comprehensive knowledge of the structure of the upper limb with function and activity. Using specialized skills in assessment, planning and treatment, hand therapists provide therapeutic intervention to prevent dysfunction, restore function and/or reverse the progression of pathology of the upper limb in order to enhance an individual’s ability to execute tasks and to participate fully in life situations.” – Journal of Hand Therapy; 2009(22)361-376), ASHT Scope of Practice; 2011
Hand Therapy is a type of rehabilitation performed by an occupational or physical therapist on patients with conditions affecting the hands and upper extremities. Such therapy is performed by a provider with a high degree of specialization that requires continuing education and, often, advanced certification. This enables the hand therapist to work with patients to hasten their return to a productive lifestyle.
Why Hand Therapy?
- Accurate assessments, immediate care, and effective treatment can reduce overall treatment time
- Faster recovery results in decreased medical costs
- Improved functional outcomes ensure a faster return to work and productive lifestyle
- Client training and education improve compliance and help to reduce recurrence of repetitive injuries
What Is a Hand Therapist?
A hand therapist is a nationally registered occupational therapist or physical therapist who, through advanced continuing education, clinical experience, and integration of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology, has become proficient in treatment of pathological upper-quadrant conditions resulting from trauma, disease, or congenital or acquired deformity.
Hand Therapists have comprehensive knowledge of:
- Anatomy and physiology of these systems: skin/connective, muscular, skeletal, nervous, vascular, and lymphatic
- Etiology and pathology of medical conditions
- Surgical and medical treatment of upper extremity conditions
- Kinesiology, biomechanics, and pathomechanics
- Wound and tissue healing
- Ergonomics and body mechanics
- Research design and statistics
- Expected functional outcomes of treatment
- Expected physiological and psychological effects of treatment
A qualified hand therapist evaluates and treats any problem related to the upper extremities. The hand therapist effectively provides: postoperative rehabilitation, non-operative or conservative intervention; preventive care and industrial ergonomic consultation. A variety of techniques and tools may be used in therapeutic intervention, including but not limited to:
- Activity/Exercise regimes custom designed to increase motion, dexterity and strength with the ultimate goal of improving function.
- Behavior management
- Compressive therapy
- Desensitization, sensory re-education or sensory compensatory techniques
- Electrical modalities
- Ergonomic modifications
- Improve the performance of daily life skills by teaching adaptive techniques and suggesting adaptive/assistive devices equipment
- Industrial consultation
- Joint protection and energy conservation training
- Manual therapy
- Orthotic fabrication for post-op surgical protection/immobilization, correction of injury or deformity and conservative management of common upper extremity (UE) syndromes
- Pain management, acute or chronic
- Patient and family education
- Prosthetic Training
- Scar tissue management
- Thermal modalities
- Wellness Education
- Work conditioning/hardening/retraining
- Wound management
Contact Us For Hand & Occupational Therapy!
