Hand Therapy

What is Hand Therapy?

We use our hands for almost everything. From cooking and cleaning to typing and washing our faces, our hands are some of our greatest tools and it's often not until they become injured or otherwise incapacitated that we really notice how much we use them.
Our hands and wrists are full of tiny bones, ligaments, and tendons. That means there's plenty of opportunities for our hands and wrists to become injured or overused causing pain and poor functionality. That's where hand therapy comes in.
Hand therapy is a form of occupational therapy that provides rehabilitation of the hands, wrists, and upper limbs after an injury or due to a chronic condition.
In general, occupational therapy refers to therapy that aims to improve everyday tasks you might need to do at home, work, or school. Examples of occupational therapy in relation to hand therapy include:
•   Tying shoes
•   Brushing teeth
•   Writing and typing
•   Eating and cooking
•   Holding and lifting objects

Occupational therapy plays a pivotal role in hand therapy since the main goal of occupational therapy is to improve and maintain functionality. We are so excited to have Baylee Clifton OT/R at Patterson Physical Therapy to specialize in treating hands.

Common Injuries that are Treated in Hand Therapy

•   Sprains
•   Tendonopathy
•   Tendinitis
•   Fractures
•   Overuse and injuries due to repetitive movement such as carpal tunnel syndrome
•   Lacerations/Lesions or tears of the skin, nerves, tendons, muscles, or ligaments of the hand or wrist
•   Wounds
•   Hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity
•   Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
•   Amputation
•   Arthrosis/Arthritis
Sprains and fractures of the hands, wrists, and upper limbs are common since it's a natural tendency to use our hands to break a fall or protect ourselves when we trip or slip.
Tendonopathy and overuse injuries are also incredibly common in the hands since, again, we use our hands for practically everything from typing to cooking to arts and crafts.

Hand Therapy Treatments

Once an assessment has been made, your occupational therapist will create a personalized hand therapy treatment plan to help you manage or recover from the issues with your hand or wrist.
A few examples of hand therapy options include:
•   Orthosis manufacturing
•   Education about your treatment options and the condition itself
•   Pain management
•   Edema/muscle massage
•   Sensitization or desensitization
•   Adaptation advice
•   Motor imagery rehabilitation

• Occupational therapy to manage everyday tasks at home, work, and school.

While the first step of any occupational therapy treatment plan is to reduce pain and restore normal movement. Then they will perform exercises that may seem more clinical and less like your everyday activities. Then your occupational therapist will soon adapt the exercises that have been deemed necessary into your daily routine.
Your occupational therapist, therefore, works with you on safer and more effective approaches to your everyday roles and habits to make sure your injury not only improves but also so that it doesn't return.

For more information, please call 731-300-4950

If you are a provider's office and would like to refer a patient for Occupational Therapy, please call us at 731-300-4950 to schedule your patient's appointment. You may also fax the order and patient information to 731-300-4951