What is Hand Physical Therapy?

Hand Physical Therapy in Brooklyn

Hand therapy is a rehabilitation method performed by physical or occupational therapists on patients who have conditions that affect their hands and upper extremities. Hand physical therapy allows patients to recover faster, and return to a healthy, productive lifestyle.

A lot of people who have suffered trauma or accidents resulting in injured nerves or tendons, fractures, wounds, scars, burns, and even amputations of the arms, hands and fingers can benefit greatly from hand therapy. Additionally, many people who suffer from conditions such as tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, or neurological conditions can also find relief by visiting a certified hand therapist.

However, keep in mind that a certified hand therapist and a therapist who treats patients with hand or arm conditions aren’t even remotely similar in terms of experience and quality. A certified hand therapist goes through several years of experience in order to attain their certification, while a practitioner can treat their patients without any extra formal education.

Hand therapy aims to address the underlying, bio-mechanical issues of upper-extremity conditions. Hand therapy specialists use a client-centered and occupation-based approach that helps identify the needs of the client. In other words, the patient will express what they want to be able to do in their everyday life that is necessary, so that the therapy focuses on improving their performance of those activities as the main goal.

The end-goal of hand physical therapy is to enable patients to perform all of their everyday activities, while ensuring the rehab process promotes permanent healing of their condition. That being said, hand therapy fosters positive outcomes for patients, allowing them to experience an increase in their quality of life and ultimately, making them independent.

What are the Benefits of Hand Physical Therapy?

As aforementioned, hand therapy fosters many positive outcomes for patients. Depending on your condition, your needs, and dedication to the physical therapy, you will experience One of the most satisfying parts of going through hand therapy is the feeling of restored function and mobility. Our arms are of utmost importance to many pivotal tasks. Experiencing constant pain and loss of function can be hard on anyone, and every condition can take a toll on a person, in one way or another. Conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and arthritis can kill the enjoyment people receive from fulfilling jobs, hobbies, and many everyday activities. The hands are extremely complex body parts, which may require surgery and months of hand therapy, but the end result will justify the means almost every time.

Another huge benefit of going through hand physical therapy, which is also a direct result of restored function and mobility, is the renewed confidence patients experience. People who lose the ability to perform basic everyday tasks and experience pain from being unable to partake in the hobbies and activities they love are oftentimes left feeling vulnerable and dependent on others. Once they go through therapy and slowly go through the process of restoring function to their upper limbs, they slowly gain back the confidence and strength to live independently, as they did before their condition or injury.

Furthermore, while going through the process, the patient gains knowledge about their body, the condition, the injury, and the healing process. This allows patients to fully understand the importance of hand therapy and the importance of taking care of their body. Conversely, the hand therapist in Brooklyn will come to understand the patient and their injury, because even though they may be treating a hundred patients a month, every body, and every injury is different.

Lastly, patients that go through hand physical therapy experience reduced stress, which is caused by pain in the wrist, elbows, hands and shoulder tension. Moreover, not only do people in pain experience stress, they have trouble sleeping and decreased coping abilities. A certified hand therapist understands this and will work with you to relieve pain. Once you’ve started hand therapy, your ability to function will improve significantly.

What Does Hand Physical Therapy Involve?

The first step to a successful road to recovery from hand physical therapy is forming a close patient-therapist relationship. Therapists usually begin the process by assessing their client, their functional deficits and desired goals from the therapy. This allows the therapist to understand what the client wants, enjoys and values, and what they both need to do in order to get them back on track. This allows both parties to set goals collaboratively. The patient, on the other hand, will understand that the process will address their entire lifestyle, body and mind, including social and psychological issues, not just the injury itself.

Next, the therapist will likely start with a few preparatory methods, such as muscle strengthening, range of motion, physical agent modalities and specific hand therapy exercises. Alternatively, the therapist may decide that performing purposeful activities are the better solution. As the patient progresses, the focus of the therapy is broadened into addressing the performance of the client’s desired life activities, tasks and occupations.

The therapist closely monitors the patient’s progress, and chooses activities accordingly in order to ensure they relate to the actual activities the patient will be doing during and after the rehab process. And even though the activities may not be tailored to help with healing the condition or injury itself, they may still be used as a way to help patients return to a healthy psychological state and social well-being while their bodies heal. Adaptations can be made at any point during the recovery process if that’s what the patient desires.

When the time comes, a certified hand therapist may provide adaptive equipment and splints that will help the patient facilitate instead of inhibit participation in everyday activities such as eating, dressing or driving.

However, keep in mind that every hand therapist can have unique treatment methods and approaches to hand therapy, so you shouldn’t expect to get the same treatment everywhere. Also, don’t forget to differentiate between a certified hand therapist and a therapist or practitioner who treats hand, arm and finger conditions, because the difference is more than adding the word “certified”.

For more information on holistic hand therapy services, please visit-

https://evolveny.com/physical-therapy/hand-therapy-brooklyn

Brooklyn's Premier Physical Therapy Clinics-

There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of bio-mechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!

Multiple Locations!

1-718-258-3300

EvolveNY.com

Sports Physical Therapy- Common Sports Injuries

Sports Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation for Popular Sporting Injuries

As an athlete, it is important that you can get back on the field as soon as possible after an injury. Here at Evolve, my team and I specialize in many sports physical therapy and rehabilitation services. Below we’ve highlighted a few of the ways that we can assist you during your recovery.

Sports Physical Therapy Services

We offer a few different specialty services to help you recover from your sporting injuries. Below are a few examples:

Prehabilitation: I’ve seen the benefits of prehabilitation exercises for athletes. While it was previously primarily beneficial prior to having surgery, over the years it has developed into a popular functional fitness and injury prevention technique.

Manual Therapy: My team and I can use manual therapy as a hands-on method to target the weak muscles in and around your injury to reduce pain, and promote better mobility.

Deep Tissue Massage: As an athlete, you put a ton of stress on your body during training and games. My team and I can provide a deep tissue massage to reduce pain and promote healing.

Running & Gait Training: As an athlete, having proper form while running is extremely important. My team and I can help you to improve your function and enhance your performance.

Common Sports Injuries

If you are an athlete, or simply an avid sports player, chances are you may get injured. Here are a few of the most common sporting injuries that we see come through our doors here at Evolve.

Football Injuries and How to Treat Them

As a full contact sport, injuries are very common for football players. Whether you have over exerted yourself at practice or you take a hard tackle, a lot of these injuries requires physical therapy services. At Evolve, my team and I can help you develop a treatment plan to get you back into your best shape if you are suffering from any of the following injuries.

Knee Injuries: Knee injuries are very common in the football world. As a football player, having a knee injury can land you off the field for a long time. My team and I want to help you heal from your injuries faster. By utilizing our knee physical therapy services, we can help you with exercises that promote recovery, balance, and holistic healing.

Shoulder Injuries: Another popular injury among football players is shoulder injuries. These can include labrum and joint injuries. Our team can address any muscle tears and we can help you to restore shoulder function and mobility through our physical therapy services for shoulder injuries.

Overuse Injuries: Back pain is a frequent complaint from football players. If you are experiencing back pain this may be a sign of overuse from intense training. The kind of pain caused by overuse can be targeted by icing or with stretching and physical therapy exercises.

Basketball Injuries and Treatment Methods

While basketball isn’t a full contact sport, it is skill likely that at some point you may have an injury. The Evolve team and I can help you recover from the following injuries through our sports physical therapy services.

Ankle Injuries: Injured ankles are very popular among basketball players. It is essential to play this sport that you fully recover from any ankle injury. A few of the frequent ankle injuries that we see are dislocations, fractures, sprains, tendonitis, or post-surgical recovery. With years of experience in the field, my team and I can help you recover from ankle injuries by using specialized sports ankle physical therapy methods.

Knee Injuries: Some of the most common knee injuries that we’ve seen from basketball players are ACL tears and MCL tears, fractures, and tendonitis. In more severe cases your injury may require surgery before you can start physical therapy. Our goal is to help you through a customized exercise and physical therapy treatment plan specific to your injuries. We want to see you regain the strength and mobility that you may have lost due to your sports injury.

Shoulder Injuries: Rotator cuff tears are one of the most common shoulder injuries. As a frequently used part of the body for basketball and activities related to daily living, you will want to recover from this injury as soon as possible. Let us help you start to find healing today.

Hand & Wrist Injuries: Injuries of the hand and wrist are also common with basketball players. If you’ve injured your hand or wrist you will be out of luck with basketball until the injury heals. Don’t spend unnecessary time on the sidelines. While the duration of every treatment plan is different, both hand physical therapy and wrist physical therapy has been proven to increase recovery times.

Common Injuries and Their Treatment Plans for Baseball Players

Baseball is a sport that sees its fair share of injuries as well. If you are a professional player or are a frequent player in pickup games, you may find that the stress put on your body can eventually result in injury. Below are some of the most common baseball injuries that my team and I can help you with our specialized physical therapy for baseball players here at Evolve.

Rotator Cuff Injuries: The overall goal for physical therapy with a rotator cuff injury is to improve the function of each muscle that surrounds your shoulder. By building and strengthening these muscles you will find that you can increase mobility.

Tennis Elbow: Tennis elbow happens when the muscles around your elbow have been overused. It can cause pain and inflammation. By using sports physical therapy exercises you can start to reduce any pain and inflammation that has occurred.

ACL Injuries: If your ACL has been damaged due to an injury our team can help. A physical therapy treatment plan for a torn ACL may include, gait training, strengthening exercise, range of motion exercises, balance exercises and more.

Wrist & Hand Injuries: As a baseball player, full wrist and hand function is imperative. Here at Evolve, we can help you with strengthening and range of motion exercises to start helping you heal from wrist and hand injuries.

Treating Soccer Injuries with Physical Therapy

Soccer is another sport that includes likely chances of injury due to the speed and nature of the sport. If you have been injured during a game or have noticed pain after a grueling practice, we are here to help. Below are some examples of the frequently seen injuries of those who participate in this sport.

Ankle & Hamstring Strains: My team and I can help you with pain management for ankle and hamstring strains by teaching you exercises that can help you regain your normal range of motion. Our team can help you get back in the game faster and in your best shape yet.

Overuse Injuries: An overuse injury is also a common one for soccer players. By utilizing prehab exercises, you can help to prevent these kinds of injuries from occurring.

Soft Tissue Injuries: A soft tissue injury can occur when an excessive force is put on your soft tissues. To recover from a soft tissue injury, we can assist you with manual therapy, range of motion exercises, and more to help you fully recover and get back to the game you love.

Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation Services with Evolve

Do you have a sports injury that is keeping you from being able to return to the sport you love? Here at Evolve, my team and I want to see you make a full recovery. Reach out to us today to learn more about our physical therapy and rehabilitation services for sporting injuries. You can schedule your first consultation free of charge. We look forward to hearing from you!

What is Tennis Elbow and How Can Physical Therapy Help?

By Nick Mazzone, PT, DPT, CSCS

What does tennis elbow mean?

“Tennis elbow” is the nickname given to a condition known to the medical community as lateral epicondylitis (also seen ending in -osis or -algia). This name describes the region from which the pain originates on the outside of the elbow. The lateral epicondyle is the part of the upper arm bone that serves as the origin for all of the muscles that extend the wrist.

What causes tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow is considered an overuse injury. It typically occurs after repetitive stress to the involved region over time, however one traumatic incident such as a fall or work accident may also cause inflammation in this region. Tennis elbow got its name because it is a common overuse injury seen in those who play the sport. Tennis players tend to hold a tight grip on their racquets while producing powerful forces with their wrist extensor muscles. In certain cases, this may be a recipe for inflammation. Another common population that tends to get tennis elbow is the office worker. Being in a position of wrist extension while typing for prolonged periods may cause repetitive stress to the outside of the elbow.

Here is an example of what your posture should look like while in front of your computer:

How Will Physical Therapy help me?

Your physical therapist will design a specific treatment plan tailored to your needs based on your background and activity level. The program will consist of soft tissue mobilization to assist in the healing process, stretching/mobility training, functional strengthening of eccentrics (the muscle’s ability to control movement from wrist extension to wrist flexion) and grip strengthening, training of ergonomics and posture, and education on how to prevent the condition from reoccurring.

Your specific program will depend on how you acquired the condition in the first place. An office worker will be trained to alter their desk setup in order to decrease the stress on the wrist extensors. A tennis player may be prompted to consider changing the thickness of their racquet handle or the tightness of the strings. Both of these variables may help contribute to the repetitive stress that occurs during the sport since more force production is necessary to produce the desired effect when these conditions are not optimal.

This picture shows one way to stretch the wrist extensor muscles.

Click here to find out more information about physical therapy for tennis elbow

Check out this video for 3 simple exercises to help with your tennis elbow:

About-

Nick Mazzone received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Stony Brook University. He has a strong background in strength and conditioning and aims to bridge the gap between strength training and physical therapy. Nick believes that a lifestyle centered around physical fitness and mental well-being are vital to one’s successes and happiness. For this reason, he educates his patients on pain science and helps empower them and motivate them to reach their goals every day. You can find him at Evolve Physical Therapy in Mill Basin, Brooklyn, NY. To view some of his other content, visit drnickmazzonedpt.wordpress.com.

Resources 

Main photo retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tennis-elbow/symptoms-causes/syc-20351987

Photo of bones of arm retrieved from http://cruxcrush.com/2014/06/26/climber-problems-elbow-injury/

Picture of wrist and finger extension retrieved from http://www.militarydisabilitymadeeasy.com/images/handmuscles/

Picture of ideal desk posture retrieved from xhttps://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/support/ergonomic-comfort

Photo of wrist extensor stretch retrieved from https://www.therapeuticassociates.com/athletic-performance/golf/stretching-for-golfers/