Libra Occupational Therapy

Hand Therapy Can Decrease Your Joint Pain and Increase Your Mobility

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Hand Therapy Can Decrease Your Joint Pain and Increase Your Mobility

Libra Occupational Therapy
Aug 8, 2022
Health

As we get older, we may find ourselves thinking the same thing: our joints aren’t as strong as they once were. Perhaps you’re dealing with an injury that makes movement difficult, or you’re dealing with the “wear and tear” of osteoarthritis as you get older. Whatever the case may be, one thing is certain: without aches and pains, you can’t get around as well. Do you regularly experience discomfort or shooting pains in your hands and upper extremities while performing everyday tasks such as getting something from a top shelf, or getting dressed? Taking painkillers or living a sedentary lifestyle to compensate for daily aches and pains isn’t a healthy method to deal with your condition! If you want to live your life to the fullest without being hampered by joint aches and stiffness, consider an all-natural solution: hand therapy treatment.

What causes joint pain and stiffness?

You rely on your hands to do so many things that it’s not surprising they would get dry, rough, and sore. Joints and tendons in the hands can also become stiff or injured, making it difficult to perform even basic tasks.

To comprehend how hand therapy may assist you with your joint difficulties, you must first understand why they are occurring.

Joint stiffness and discomfort can be caused by a variety of factors. Muscles, tendons, ligaments,, or the joint may be damaged in an acute sprain or strain, for example. Inflammation can occur, which can be unpleasant and immobilizing.

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of joint pain and stiffness. Age-related degeneration of the cartilage between the bones of a joint is the most common cause of this ailment. Rheumatoid arthritis, which is a painful and debilitating joint illness caused by autoimmune disorders, is another prevalent type of arthritis that can cause debilitating pain and discomfort in the hands, upper extremities, and other areas of the body as well.

Soft-tissue injury, on the other hand, does not have to happen in a dramatic collision; it can happen gradually over weeks, months, or even years. Soft tissue discomfort can occur even if you don’t do anything at all to cause it! Chronic tendinitis or bursitis can develop if your chosen sport, career, or pastime leads you to repeatedly overstress certain joints.

If you’ve had your arm in a sling for a long period, a condition called adhesive capsulitis, sometimes known as “frozen shoulder,” can cause your shoulder to become unusable.

If you are experiencing pain, but you’re not quite sure why or what you can do to manage it, (practice name)’s experienced hand therapists are here to help you!

How can hand therapy help?

As you can see, there are a variety of causes for joint discomfort. Fortunately, there are several types of hand therapy that can alleviate your pain and increase your range of motion by addressing these symptoms.

Hand therapy focuses on the intricacies of the muscles in the hand, and the important skills that are necessary to basic motor functions. One of our experienced hand therapists will start by carefully evaluating your condition. This will include an examination of your overall health, your daily activities, and the nature of your symptoms.

Evaluation of the joint itself and your ability to move it will also be a crucial part of your appointment, as it can reveal exactly what the underlying problem is!

This will lead toward the recommendation of specific types of therapy, such as stretching exercises to help injured muscles and connective tissues heal back to their former length and range of motion. These exercises are also good for keeping arthritic joints from becoming stiffer.

Joint mobilization techniques may also be incorporated into your treatment at (practice name) as well. These techniques can help improve your pain-free range of motion and increase your function. You may also benefit from strategies aimed at breaking up internal scar tissue, which can form over old injuries and cause chronic stiffness.

Request a consultation with one of our experts today

You may never realize how essential your hands are to your every-day lifestyle until you lose their functionality. A freak accident, an injury, a chronic illness like arthritis—it happens to too many people. One day you may realize that your hands aren’t capable of tying that knot, of grasping that lever, or of picking up that needle. This can be scary, however, it doesn’t have to mean the end of life as you know it.

Our highly-trained hand therapists can create an individualized treatment plan equipped to fit your personal needs and goals.

You don’t have to live with your sore joints in your hands any longer; contact our office today to begin your road to healing and relief!

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