Our hands are one of our most used parts of the body. We use them for everything, from eating, to driving, to reading, to creating art, and much, much more. When our hands are having problems, that ripples out to affect our entire life. If your hands aren’t functioning properly, this results in much frustration as it can turn even simple tasks like grabbing a cup difficult. This is why there is a specialized branch of physical therapy specifically for the hands – hand therapy. 

What Is Hand Therapy?

Hand therapy is a type of rehabilitative therapy aimed at the hands and upper extremities. It is client-centered, aimed to target your specific needs and find a solution to help you regain mobility, lessen pain, regain hand strength, and even re-educate damaged nerves. This means that rather than simply looking at the parts of your hand and how they might be hurt, your hand therapist will work with you to find out what you use your hands for most and the like, to ensure personalized, effective treatment. 

As such, hand therapy has no one set treatment plan. After evaluating your situation and speaking with you, your therapist will choose the activities, exercises, and treatments they use with you in order to meet your needs best. If you do a lot of writing, for example, they may include hand tasks to get your hand comfortable with the motion of that again. They’ll adapt treatments in order to suit your needs and goals as needed.

Who Does Hand Therapy Work For?

Hand therapy helps with problems in the hands, as you may expect. These can be either from traumas, like crash injuries, fractures, tears, dislocations, burns, infections, reattachment of amputated parts, and more. They can also be from chronic problems, as well as disordered movement resulting from psychological issues. 

Hand therapists can treat conditions like: arthritis, tendonitis, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, hand pain, joint pain, sprains and strains in the wrist and hand, and more. Hand therapists can also help with: monitoring and treating wounds, reducing swelling, decreasing pain, softening scar tissue, helping people who have had amputations on the hands or arms learn to function, and more. 

How Does Hand Therapy Work?

Hand therapy can help with hand problems in a number of ways. It offers a non-surgical treatment option to help with pain, learning to feel again after nerve injury or problems, learning how to get back to everyday movements, as well as strengthening and improving movement and healing as a whole.

Hand therapists do this in a number of ways. Hand therapists can help your hands through a variety of exercises that can include putties, grips, water therapy, and more. These treatments can include exercises as mentioned before, as well as other techniques. 

They can use electrical stimulation, compression therapy, water therapy, manual and massage therapy, and work with you to both protect your hand and improve its function. They can provide splints and other orthotics to protect and correct injuries, suggest any devices that could help with normal hand functions, and work with you to re-educate your senses and practice real-life hand tasks. 

As mentioned above, hand therapy is quite personalized, which is why there are so many treatment options to use for it. What works well for one person may not work the best for another, and what helps your hands recover for one type of movement may not work best for another. This is why your hand therapist will work closely with you and adapt as needed in order to ensure you have the best possible treatment plan for you.

The Benefits Of Hand Therapy

Hand therapy is most beneficial in that it works to help you get your life back. It helps patients participate in activities they wish to as well as complete necessary daily tasks. Hand therapy’s purpose is to get your quality of life back through assisting in the recovery and rehabilitation of issues in your hands that may be inhibiting that. If you have tremors or nerve pain or struggle using your hands for any number of reasons, a hand therapist may be able to help. 

Are You Considering Hand Therapy?

Here at Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy, we have a certified hand therapist. This means that they have a minimum of 3 years of experience, over 4000 hours of clinic experience, and passed a comprehensive exam of advanced clinical skills. Our hand therapist will be able to work closely with you to improve the strength, function, and mobility of your hands. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy today!

There are many things aquatic therapy is good for. Aquatic therapy is a form of physical therapy performed in water, and is commonly used to treat those with consistent pain, neurological issues, and musculoskeletal issues, as well as for rehabilitation. Aquatic therapy involves treatments and specialized exercises that the therapist has the client perform while floating, partially submerged, or fully submerged in water. Here are six things you should know about what aquatic therapy is good for.

Pain Reduction 

Because of the natural buoyancy of water, aquatic therapy is good for reducing pain. Buoyancy combined with the hydrostatic pressure – the force of the water against one’s body – cause a weightless sensation. This reduces pressure on the joints, weight-bearing stress, and decreases inflammation. The cushioning effect of water makes it easier to move, increasing one’s range of motion. This makes aquatic therapy good for those with chronic pain, pain related to injuries, persistent back/ankle/etc pain, and more.

Increasing Strength 

Water enacts natural resistance against one’s body. This makes aquatic therapy good for increasing strength. When one starts aquatic therapy, it is typically with little to no resistance besides what the water causes. Because of the hydrostatic pressure, your muscles naturally work harder in water. This means that increasing the speed of your movements makes them harder, which in turn, makes you stronger, without the risk of impact-related injuries. Therapists can increase resistance by introducing weights, floats, paddles, and the like. This makes aquatic therapy good for those rehabilitating from surgeries or injuries or the like.

Increasing Flexibility and Balance

Since water cushions you and lessens how much weight is on your joints, your range of motion improves. This makes it easier to increase your flexibility. Since water also heightens your awareness of your body, it makes you focus more on your balance so that you can do the exercises and stay upright. This heightened awareness of your body will translate to your balance on land, as well.

Improves Cardiovascular and Muscular Endurance

Since your muscles naturally work harder in water, so does your respiratory system. This means your heart does too. The harder your muscles work, the harder your heart works to get blood to them. This increases your muscular and cardiovascular endurance, in addition to improving your overall circulation. Improved circulation also means improved healing rates, as good blood flow is key to recovery. This is another reason why aquatic therapy is good for those in rehabilitation.

Provides An Alternative Means of Exercise

Aquatic therapy is good for those who recently sustained an injury or have chronic issues, but it is also good as a means of exercise for those with disabilities. The buoyancy of water provides a way for those who find it difficult to exercise on land to do so in the water, as it supports weak muscles. The therapist is also right there, ready to assist. The natural resistance helps those with tremors and other involuntary movements, creating a feeling of control that the patient may not otherwise have out of the water.

Decreases Stress and Anxiety

The hydrostatic pressure of water also makes aquatic therapy good for psychological issues, such as stress and anxiety. Pressure is proven to help ease anxiety, so it makes sense why being in the water would lessen it. The equal pressure around your body and the lessening of tactile sensations provide a calming environment that relieves stress and anxiety.

If you or someone you know suffers from pain, are looking for a way to rehabilitate after a surgery or injury, want a way to exercise that is less stressful on your joints, or want to increase your body’s capabilities, you may consider aquatic therapy. Here at Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy, we offer aquatic therapy, in addition to a range of services to protect your health and both prevent and help your body recover from injuries. For more information about aquatic therapy or any of the other services we offer at Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy, contact us today!