Areas of Expertise
Custom Splinting
Splints are used for protection from further injury, to immobilize a joint in early stages of healing, can promote healing by providing optimal alignment, or can allow for protected motion during treatment. Different injuries and procedures require different splint designs. Custom splints fabricated by a hand therapist are molded to conform to all of the natural curvatures and contours of your hand or other parts of your upper limb. The better the fit, the greater the effectiveness in promoting healing. Custom splints can be adjusted as swelling diminishes and joint motion is increased.
Wound Care / Scar Management
Scar tissue within the hand can have devastating effects on a person's ability to use their hand. There are many intricate structures within the hand. Unmanaged scar tissue can restrict these structures from gliding and moving freely for effective hand function. Measures can be taken to assist with wound healing to minimize scars and to reduce scarring that does occur. Modalities such as ultrasound, iontophoresis, hydrotherapy debridement, manual multi-directional friction massage, compression sleeves, and splinting can effectively help to manage scar tissue and restore function. Although most impactful in the hand, scar and soft tissue restrictions throughout the upper limb can cause pain and restricted movement and are very responsive to these interventions. Desensitizing scars following trauma, post-mastectomy pain, or post surgical incisions can be performed gently and within a person's tolerance levels.
Strength and Coordination
Hand Therapy Associates offers specialized interventions and tools with an understanding of the timing and approach to strengthening the intricate structures within the hand and upper limb. When to implement strengthening is an important aspect to successful treatment of injuries and conditions. There is a natural balance between the strength of the muscles that bend the hand, allowing you to make a fist, with those that open the hand. Restoring that balance is key to regaining pain-free function. Restoring function in the hand relies on fine motor coordination that integrates range of motion, strength, nerve function for driving the muscle groups but also for finite sensation, efficient circulation, and skin that can smoothly glide with movement. Hand Therapy considers all of these factors to help a person resume their day-to-day activities.
Pain Management
Understanding that pain is complex and presents in many forms, the hand therapist will partner with your provider to relieve pain. Developing trust by respecting the type and intensity of a person’s pain will always guide our interventions. Employing pain relieving modalities like soft tissue massage, gentle desensitizing techniques, various heat modalities, compression sleeves, ultrasound, or iontophoresis which administers medication locally through the skin to a site of pain are options available. Acute pain occurs following injury, surgery, or as a result of overuse or repetitive motions. Chronic pain is pain that continues beyond its usefulness as a warning to someone that there is a problem.” There are countless sources of chronic pain, including amputation, surgical procedures, arthritis, fibromyalgia, traumatic injuries, and muscle imbalance.
Hand Therapy at Oak Ridge
Hand therapy is the art and science of evaluating and treating injuries or conditions of the hand. Using a number of therapeutic interventions to help return a person to their highest level of function, Hand Therapists treat other upper limb disorders of the wrist, elbow and shoulder that affect hand function. Even someone who has undergone a mastectomy can benefit from Hand
Therapy to help with managing scar tissue, hyper sensitivity or tissue restrictions that result, or to manage the chronic swelling that can occur following lymph removal.
Some common conditions treated:
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Fractures ( finger, wrist, forearm, upper arm)
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Carpal tunnel
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Tennis elbow
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Nerve injuries
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Tendon or ligament damage
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Dupuytren’s Contracture
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Arthritis
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Amputations
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Traumatic multi system injuries
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Post-surgical treatment
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Frozen shoulder
