Hand therapy is mainly rehabilitative; hence, occupational or physical therapists are essential as they administer the treatment. Their advice and even moral support allow patients to return to everyday life and be productive. Usually, this process starts with the conditions being diagnosed so the therapist can understand the patient’s needs and concerns. Therapists will obtain your medical history, perform an appropriate evaluation, and then create a unique strategy with reasonable time frames and goals to assist you in your healing process.
As part of hand therapy, the therapist will perform multiple therapies. You will also be assigned exercises at home. It is beneficial to continue treatment. Missing sessions can cause your function to regress and make progress more difficult. Recovery will be slowed or prolonged by insufficient effort.
Hand therapy patients may have suffered from an injury, trauma, arthritis, or surgery. There are numerous issues that therapy can assist in resolving. The therapists can:
Observe and tend to wounds
reduce skin-to-tendonitis and soften scarring
Ease the movement of tendons, nerves, and joints
Cut down on oedema and pain
Educate patients who have had their hands, arms, or fingers amputated on how to function.
Therapists can help patients adapt to new functions, propose fresh approaches, and offer beneficial instruments to restore lost functionality. Therapists frequently assist with fractures, tendon repairs, arthritis, trigger fingers, stiff hands or fingers, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and paralysis following a stroke.
Symptoms That Indicate You Might Require Hand Therapy
You have pain or discomfort in your hands, wrists, and arms
You have swelling in your hands
You have stiffness in your hands, wrists, and arms
You have a limited range of motions in your hands, wrists, and arms
You have numbness or tingling in your hands, wrists, and arms
You have difficulty with daily tasks that require the use of your hands, such as brushing your teeth or opening jars
Causes
Injuries: Hand injuries, such as fractures, dislocations, sprains, and strains
Pain: Pain in the hands, such as from arthritis, tennis elbow, or golfer’s elbow
Nerve issues: Nerve disorders, such as pinched nerves or nerve compression
Soft tissue issues: Dupuytren’s contracture, which is a hardening and tightening of the soft tissues in the hand
Other conditions: Carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, trigger finger, bursitis, frozen shoulder, and more
Post-operative care: Hand therapy can help with post-operative care to prevent scar tissue from forming
Age-related mobility issues: Hand therapy can help people who are at risk of losing mobility due to age
Types Of Hand Therapy
Occupational therapy: Helps patients regain the ability to perform daily activities
Physical therapy: Improves strength, flexibility, and range of motion
Manual therapy: Involves hands-on manipulation and mobilisation of hand tissues.
Custom splinting: Therapists create custom splints to immobilise, support, or protect the hand
Massage: Can reduce inflammation, decrease pain, improve circulation, and relieve muscle tension
Heat therapy: Can reduce pain and stiffness and help speed up recovery
Cold therapy Can help decrease swelling, bleeding, inflammation, and pain.
Tendon transfer: A procedure that involves cutting the distal end of a functional muscle and reattaching it to a nonfunctional muscle
When Is Hand Therapy Required?
Hand therapy can benefit anyone who wants to strengthen or increase the range of motion in their hands. It can help people with carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, tendinitis, joint discomfort, fractures and dislocations, sprains and strains, arthritis, and cuts. Those who are recuperating from hand injuries or post-operative treatment following surgery, as well as those who are in danger of losing mobility as they age, can also benefit from it.
Hand therapy offers a thorough approach to regaining hand health through individualised treatment programs, including manual therapies, splinting techniques, and targeted stretching exercises meant to reduce discomfort while enhancing range of motion, strength, and agility.
Why Is Hand Therapy Required?
Hand therapy can be beneficial for a variety of reasons, including:
Recovering from injuries: Hand therapy can help patients recover from injuries to the hand, wrist, fingers, and arm, such as fractures, ligament and tendon injuries, and nerve injuries.
Treating conditions: Hand therapy can help treat conditions such as arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, trigger finger and tendonitis.
Returning to work: Hand therapy can help patients return to work and a more active lifestyle.
Improving quality of life: Hand therapy can help improve quality of life by reducing pain and swelling and helping nerves glide and joints move.
Reducing medical costs: Faster recovery from hand therapy can result in decreased medical costs.
Benefits Of Hand Therapy
Hand therapy is intended to offer patients a multitude of benefits, such as:
During treatment, regaining normal hand and arm function
Improving quality of life while managing chronic diseases and hastening the healing process after trauma
Minimising discomfort and agony
Reducing swelling
Controlling the signs and symptoms of specific hand and arm disorders
Doctors Available For Hand Therapy
Hand therapy can be provided by occupational therapists (OTs) or physical therapists (PTs) who specialise in the hand and arm:
Hand therapists
With their advanced training and clinical experience, these therapists take a comprehensive approach to treating conditions of the hand and arm. They use their knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology to assess and rehabilitate conditions, providing reassurance to their patients and colleagues.
Orthopedic surgeons
These surgeons specialise in diagnosing and treating hand, wrist, and forearm conditions, including fractures, dislocations, arthritis, and nerve injuries. They can provide personalised treatment plans that include surgical procedures or non-surgical interventions.
What Does Hand Therapy Provide?
Therapies that don’t involve surgery
Assistance with acute or chronic pain
Assistance in lessening the unpleasant sensations caused by nerve issues
Regaining feeling following a nerve lesion by sensory re-education
Getting familiar with at-home workout regimens to improve strength and mobility
Specialised splints to support a surgical repair or to shield an injured bone, ligament, or tendon.
Acquiring the knowledge of using specific instruments to accomplish daily tasks
Assistance returning to a job, sport, or hobby
Assist a patient in healing following surgery. This could involve aiding in the healing of wounds, guarding against infection, treating scars, and minimising oedema.
Hand therapy is an overall approach to improving function, lowering pain, and improving mobility in patients with different hand and upper limb problems. By creating tailored therapy plans, therapists help patients recover strength, flexibility, and confidence in their daily lives. Hand rehabilitation is needed in all cases of recovery, be it postoperative recovery, treatment of chronic disorders, or enhanced hand performance after trauma.
Why Choose Sahyadri Hospital?
To ensure the best rehabilitation strategies,Sahyadri Hospitaloffers elite hand therapy services tailored specifically to help you bounce back to your best self. Call us now and take a step towards regaining the full use of your hand!
FAQs
How long does a session last?
The first session is usually about an hour long with subsequent sessions typically 45–60 minutes.
How many sessions will I need?
The number of sessions depends on your condition and goals, but you’ll usually attend 1–2 times per week until you reach your desired level of function.
What should I wear?
Wear comfortable, nonrestrictive clothing that allows your therapist to evaluate your injury.
For a quick response to all your queries, do call us.
