Understanding the Importance of Hand Therapy: Regaining Independence and Functionality
Have you ever thought about the importance of your hands in day-to-day life? While the movements we perform with our hands are small, they are mighty: our hands help us eat, communicate, groom ourselves, and more! And if something goes wrong with your hands, you want an expert who understands their complexities. At Libra Occupational Therapy, we understand the importance of hand therapy – and can help you understand it as well.
Hand therapy is a form of specialized physical therapy that focuses on the upper extremities–your shoulders, arms, elbows, forearms, wrists, and, of course, hands. These body parts are complex, and if something goes wrong, it can profoundly affect your day-to-day life.
Through various treatment approaches, our hand therapists can help you resolve and manage injuries and conditions of your upper extremities. Whether you’re struggling with carpal tunnel syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis, a rotator cuff tear or mysterious elbow pain, we’ll find a solution that works for you.
To learn more about the importance of hand therapy, keep reading–or call us at our Texas clinic, where our friendly staff will be happy to answer any questions you have!
What Conditions Can Hand Therapy Help Address?
Hand therapists can help address several musculoskeletal concerns related to your upper extremities. This includes soft tissue injuries, nerve damage, and rehabilitation after surgery or a fracture. We’re trained in the complexities of the conditions and can help you both improve or resolve your symptoms and manage your daily activities during recovery.
Here are just a few conditions we commonly see at our clinic:
- Sprains: A sprain is an injury to your ligaments, the tissue that connects bones in a joint. Wrist and shoulder sprains are particularly common. Sprain symptoms include pain, swelling, and loss of range of motion in the affected joint.
- Tendinitis: Inflammation of your tendons, the tissue that connects muscle to bone, can cause pain and stiffness in the affected joint. You’ve probably heard of tennis elbow, which affects the tendons and muscles around your elbow, but De Quervain syndrome, which affects the tendons around your thumb, is also common.
- Nerve Injuries: Your arm has five separate nerves running through it, and if any of those nerves become damaged or compressed, you could experience pain, tingling, and loss of mobility. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most well-known examples of nerve damage in the upper extremities, a condition that affects the wrist and hand.
- Arthritis: Arthritis refers to several conditions that cause joint inflammation. The two most common, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, can affect the joints of your upper extremities, especially your hands, wrist, and shoulder.
- Fractures: A fracture is simply a broken bone, which is generally treated with casting. Hand therapists play an important role in helping you restore strength and mobility after your fracture has healed.
No matter what upper extremity impairment you’re struggling with, our hand therapists will work with you to find a solution that suits your needs!
The Importance of Hand Therapy in Treating Upper Extremity Impairments
If you’re struggling with pain or limited range of motion in your upper extremities, visiting the hand therapists at Libra Occupational Therapy offers all kinds of benefits! Our experts have extensive training specifically in upper extremity rehabilitation, so we have a strong understanding of the complex anatomy of your shoulders, arm, and hands.
Here are just a few of the ways we can help our patients:
- Reduce pain and inflammation
- Restore range of motion
- Improve functionality and quality of life
- Avoid surgery
- Prevent future injuries
We create custom treatment plans for all of our patients based on their specific symptoms, conditions, and recovery goals. Through various techniques, we’ll help you find relief and better handle your day-to-day activities.
If you’re struggling with pain, inflammation, or lack of mobility, we might utilize manual therapy, a set of different hands-on approaches. These approaches include joint mobilization (moving a joint through its full range of motion) or soft tissue manipulation (manipulating the muscles, tendons, or ligaments).
Therapeutic exercise is also a crucial part of our treatment process. We’ll provide a customized exercise plan addressing your concerns, including pain management and improved functionality.
Many upper extremity conditions require the use of braces, splints, and other orthoses. These medical devices will immobilize an injured joint to ensure it heals properly. We can custom-design your orthosis to ensure a comfortable fit and educate you on its use.
Speaking of education, we love to keep our patients informed! We can provide detailed information about your condition to help you better navigate rehabilitation. For example, we can provide activity modifications to avoid pain and strategies for preventing future injuries.
See the Importance for Yourself!
The importance of hand therapy is undeniable! If you’re dealing with pain or immobility in your upper extremities, schedule an appointment with the hand therapists at Libra Occupational Therapy. We’ll develop a customized treatment plan to help you feel better, restore your functionality, and improve your overall quality of life.
Call us to make an appointment here in Texas today!