Clinical
Hand & Upper limb rehabilitation
The Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC) (March 2009) defines Hand Therapy as: “The art and science of rehabilitation of the upper limb, which includes the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder girdle. It is a merging of occupational and physical therapy theory and practice that combines comprehensive knowledge of the structure of the upper limb with function and activity.”
Hand and upper limb injuries effects a person’s ability to perform daily activities, work and emotional well-being. We work closely together with the multi-disciplinary team (including surgeons, physiotherapists, biokineticist and psychologists) to facilitate all aspects of recovery is addressed.
When is hand therapy needed:
- After surgery or trauma to the hand or upper limb
- Conservative or non-surgical treatment of hand and upper limb conditions
- Preventative conditions
Hand/ Upper limb rehabilitation include:
- Standardised and clinical assessment methods
- Wound care
- Education on the injury
- Oedema management
- Scar management
- Mobilisation
- Splinting (Static or dynamic splints)
- Pressure garments
- Functional assistive devices
- Mirror therapy
- Strengthening and work conditioning
- Dexterity and desensitising training
- Sensory re-education
Hand/ upper limb conditions and surgical procedures that required hand/ upper limb therapy:
- Fractures of the arm; wrist; hand and/ or fingers.
- Ligament/ joint injuries
- Partial or complete amputations of a hand and/or arm
- Burns
- Crush Injuries
- Head injuries and strokes affecting upper limb function.
- Repetitive strain conditions e.g. Tennis Elbow
- Volar plate injuries
- Dislocations and joint instabilities of arm and hand.
- Tendon injuries/ surgeries & Tendon transfers
- Nerve injuries and pain
- Brachial plexus injuries specifically if hand is affected
- Hand/ forearm infections/ abscess
- Hypersentivity
- Contractures/ Keliod & Hypertrofic scar management
- Peripheral nerve compression & Disease: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, Cyclist Palsy etc.
- Peripheral nerve injuries: Brachial Plexus Injuries; Radial Nerve Injuries; Median Nerve Injuries; Ulnar Nerve Injuries.
- Residual stiffness and weakness due to injury.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Ganglions, Depuytren’s contracture and De Quervain’s syndrome
- Soft tissue injuries
- Wrist injuries
- Ligament sprains; tears and repairs of the arm.
- Pain-related syndromes: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome etc
- Conginital anomolies for e.g.Club hand and feet; Cleft hand; Arthrogryposis etc..
- Trigger fingers
- Tendinitis and Tenosynovitis
Mental Health Conditions
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.
Mental illness can have an impact on a person’s quality of life, work performance, activity participation, impact on mood, cognitive functioning and how to cope with life’s challenges.
Conditions includes:
Depression, Bi-Polar disorder, Adult ADHD, Schizophrenia; Substance Abuse and related disorders; Anxiety etc
Sauerman Occupational Therapy includes the individual and group therapy, which includes:
- Assist with cognitive rehabilitation as well as life skills retraining together with vocation rehabilittion in order to assist with improving a patient overall function and quality of life.
- Outpatient rehabilition session (specific related to mental health condition)
- Full Functional Capacity Evaluations
- Outpatient Screening Evaluations
- Work Rehabilitation and Return-to-Work programs
- Progressive Goal Attainment ProgramTM
- Case management
- Sensory Intelligence® Licensed Practitioners
Neurological conditions
‘’A neurological disorder is any disorder of the nervous system. Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord or other nerves can result in a range of symptoms. There are many recognized neurological disorders, some relatively common, but many rare.
Interventions for neurological disorders include preventive measures, lifestyle changes, Occupational Therapy or other therapy, neurorehabilitation, pain management, medication, operations performed by neurosurgeons or a specific diet.(The World Health Organization).’’
Neuro Occupational therapy rehabilitation includes:
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- Remedial treatment techniques to address specific components such as reduced hand fucntion, loss of indepedance etc.
- The aim of Occupational therapy is to inprove a patient’s level of indepedance by means of activities of daily living, rehabilition for spesific components and assist wtih vocational rehabilataion.
- Provide appropriate cognitive rehabiliation to improve cognitive and perceptual impairments for e.g. memory difficulties, concentration problems, planning or problem solving difficulties etc.
Conditions that required Occupational Therapy rehabilitation includes:
- CVA’s (Stroke, Cerebro-vascular accidents)
- Traumatic Brain Injury and other head injuries
- Guillian Barré Syndrome
- Parkinson’s and Multiple Sclerosis
- Cognitive, perceptual or other functional impairments such as seen secondary to HIV/AIDS
Sensory Intelligence® (Licensed practitioners)
The world is full of noise, chaos, frustrations, overload and distractions. By knowing your sensory profile, we can assist you with understanding your senses and wiring. In order to gain a calm, confident and in-charge approach.’ We do Sensory Matrix as part of individual Occupational therapy and to improve your work productivity.
Other rehabilitation services include:
- Post-covid Rehabilitation: Assessments, evaluations, relevant rehabilitation and case management. Out-patient therapy or Telehealth
- Burns: Outpatient rehabilitation after burns injury. We assist with restoring function, improve scar management and making tailor made pressure garments.
- Pressure garments- Specialised and tailor made garments that assist with the following: 1) Swelling and oedema post injury/ surgery; 2) Scar management.
- Occupational Therapy@ Home: Often clients cannot access the practice due to injury / surgery or medical conditions. Feel free to contact us to assist with a home visit and Occupational Therapy intervention at home. Ergonomics assessment, evaluation of home environment and assistive devices.
