He a l t h & F i t ne s s The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
REDUCING PAIN. RESTORING FUNCTION. ACHIEVING GOALS.
RELIEVING ARTHRITIC PAINS IN YOUR UPPER EXTREMITIES
INSIDE How You Can Practice Hand Therapy On Your Own
Meet the Team: Nick Mullery, DPT
Exercise Essentials
at relieving pain and promoting healing. Occupational therapy, while it is a similar form of conservative treatment, focuses more on rehabilitation and the “relearning” of daily activities. The purpose of occupational therapy is to make daily life easier by participating in treatments and exercises. Hand therapy is also a form of occupational therapy. While the title only specifies hands, this form of therapy focuses on the upper extremity as a whole, which also includes the wrist, forearm, elbow, arm, and shoulder. Hand therapists will treat injuries and ailments that affect the upper extremity and work toward returning the affected area to its highest level of function. Hand Therapy for Arthritis Relief: A hand therapist typically uses manual techniques to manipulate the affected arthritic area, in order to release tension, swelling, and pain. Through the use of massage and hands-on treatments, patients can find significant improvement - sometimes after just one session! In some cases, additional techniques, such as ice and heat therapies, ultrasound, or electrical stimulation may also be used as part of your treatment plan, in order to manage your pain and keep symptoms at bay. Perhaps one of the biggest roles of a hand therapist, however, is prescribing targeted stretches and exercises. These will be dependent upon the type and severity of your arthritis, and will focus on improving the range of motion, strength, and overall function of your affected upper extremities, so you can safely and comfortably perform your daily activities once again. A large part of hand therapy is helping patients regain their independence in day-to-day tasks and improving their quality of life.
You use your hands, elbows, and shoulders hundreds of times throughout the day for both basic and complex tasks. This can make it extremely difficult when living with arthritis, which limits your ability to move freely. If you are living with arthritis, you’re not alone. In fact, there are over 100 different types of arthritis that people are diagnosed with. Arthritis pain is directly correlated to the limitation of mobility in your joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The more freedom of movement in your joints, strength in your muscles, and improved circulation, the less you will be affected by arthritic inflammation and pain. Arthritis in the upper extremities can be successfully relieved with the help of physical and occupational therapy. Contact REHABILITY today to find out more. Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Hand Therapy – Defined: People have found enormous success in upper extremity arthritis relief through physical therapy and occupational therapy treatments. Before you can understand why physical therapy and occupational therapy are both so important for arthritic pain relief, you must first understand the differences between physical therapy and occupational therapy. Physical therapy refers to a variety of natural and conservative treatments aimed
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