Occupational Therapy
What Is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy is an evidence-based treatment that provides each patient with skilled care to empower them to reach their highest level of functioning. Services provided by occupational therapists vary, but in our clinics, they include helping people recover and regain skills from an injury of the upper extremities, including the shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist, and hand.
An occupational therapy plan is comprehensive and personal and includes:
- Individualized evaluation to determine the patient’s source of pain, current strength and motion, and goals for their care
- Personalized treatment plan including hands-on services and treatment techniques to reduce pain and inflammation and regain function
- Exercise and stretching program to ensure regained function can be maintained following discharge from our care
Occupational therapy is very similar to physical therapy. While physical therapy focuses on the patient’s ability to perform movement of the body, occupational therapy focuses on the patient’s ability to perform daily living activities. An occupational therapist’s unique training allows them to teach patients how to adapt tasks to make them easier.
Hand Therapy
Hand therapy is a specialized area of occupational therapy that focuses on treating orthopedic upper-extremity issues meant to optimize the functional use of the arm and hand. Typical conditions that affect the hand are lacerations, amputations, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, fractures, and rheumatoid arthritis. In general, hand therapy focuses on the biomechanical issues of upper-extremity conditions. It is a patient-centered approach that addresses the needs of the patient’s unique challenges, such as being able to lift things, open a jar, or button a shirt.
Hand therapy provided by an occupational therapist may include therapeutic exercises, passive and active range of motion activities, pain management techniques, manual therapy, taping, ergonomics, and compression therapy. Activities for a hand injury with an occupational therapist may include working with putty, exercises to strengthen hand and finger strength, or everyday household items such as clothespins to improve muscle coordination.
The benefits of hand therapy include:
- Preventative and potentially non-operative or conservative treatment
- Management of acute or chronic pain focused on self-care techniques
- Desensitization following nerve injury or trauma
- Sensory re-education after nerve injury
- Design and implementation of home exercise programs to increase motion, dexterity, and strength
- Customized splint fabrication for prevention or correction of injury
- Training in the performance of daily life skills through adapted methods and equipment
- Conditioning prior to returning to work following injury or surgery
Take Our Hand and Return to Function
Do you have an injury or medical condition causing pain and limiting your daily activities? Occupational therapy goes beyond addressing injuries. It includes the patient’s functional needs and implements activities to promote psychological well-being.
To request an occupational therapy appointment, please review the list of MVPT Physical Therapy locations that offer this service. You can click on the location to learn more about the clinic and to request an evaluation. Our caring physical and occupational therapists are committed to helping you get on your road to health and wellness.