Hand Therapy at Lake Erie Sports Medicine and Rehab
If you are suffering from a hand/upper extremity injury, or recently underwent hand surgery and are searching for therapy options, consider a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) who has advanced continuing education, clinical experience and passed a board examination specifically for hand therapy.
A CHT can help with the following conditions:
- Hand and wrist fractures
- Flexor and Extensor tendon repairs
- Nerve entrapments such as carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendonitis such as DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis
In treating these hand/wrist/elbow issues, a CHT may use:
- joint mobilization/manipulation including slow movements of the joints as well quicker movements to adjust the joint
- soft tissue mobilization/release which uses stretching and deep pressure to break up rigid muscle tissue, relax muscle tension and move fluids in the tissue that cause pain and inflammation
- lymph drainage techniques which resembles a type of massage on the lymphatic system
- therapeutic exercise including strength, resistance and range of motion exercises
- a variety of passive modalities including heat, cold, and ultrasound
- over the counter and custom hand splint fabrication,
- kinesiotaping which uses special tape/patches to alleviate pain and encourage lymphatic drainage
- joint protection/energy conservation education to help change/adapt working methods and movement patterns of affected areas
- ergonomics; working with a person’s environment to minimize pain and improve function
Talk to your healthcare provider to see if Hand Therapy might be right for you.
Steve Volpe, PT, DPT, CHT sees patients at Magruder’s Lake Erie Sports Medicine & Rehab and can be reached at 419-732-4033.
