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It can happen in an instant. You are reaching to catch a ball and suddenly you feel massive pain in your finger and are stunned for a second. This is a common occurrence in most sports including basketball and football. Some injuries are minor requiring little treatment and some are major requiring surgery. It is imperative to assess for an exact diagnosis and treat sooner than later to obtain optimal results.
Hand Therapy is a specialty of both the Occupational and Physical Therapy professions that has become an area of expertise on its own. To date, there are over 5,000 therapists in the U.S. with a title of Certification in Hand Therapy (CHT). This includes 86%% of which are Occupational therapists and 14% are Physical therapists.(1) The requirements include working a minimum of five years of clinical experience, with 4,000 hours in direct hand therapy practice and passing a thorough exam involving advanced competency in the upper quadrant rehabilitation.
By definition, Occupational Therapy (also abbreviated as OT) aims to promote health by enabling individuals to perform meaningful and purposeful activities during their lifespan.(1) Interventions are designed to meet functional outcomes that achieve the highest possible level of independence. Occupational therapists (OTs) may treat patients with physical, mental, developmental, social or psychological conditions. The roles and areas that occupational performance can encompass is so extensive that OTs can work with a wide range of clients in their limitations and the settings. In the physical rehabilitation setting, one area includes orthopedic conditions of the hand and upper extremity.
This patient was treated at our 4S Ranch/Rancho Bernardo clinic. The poster was presented this past weekend at the California Physical Therapy Association’s Annual Conference in Santa Clara and will be presented at the Combined Physical Therapy Sections Meeting in January 2013 in San Diego.
