Lake St. Louis, MO Hand Therapy

Lake St. Louis, MO Hand Therapy. As humans the tasks and actions we come across in daily life require heavy use of our hands and arms. Our hands are exceptionally complex, made up of different types of joints, bones, and an intricate system of blood vessels, nerves, tendons, and muscles, which are all required to move in concert to make fine motor control possible to to button a shirt, hold a coffee cup, or answer the phone. When your medical condition or injury affects any part of your hand, wrist, forearm, or elbow, turn to the skilled care provided by a Lake St. Louis, MO hand therapist.

Skilled hand therapy can be the difference between a successful recovery and return to normal activities versus suffering from lasting complications, pain, and limitations. A well-designed hand therapy program will be individualized to your specific injury. Goals for recovery will include protection and possible splinting, pain management, graded movement restoration, strengthening, and improvement of fine motor skills along with other hand, wrist, arm, and shoulder functions, making it possible for you to live, work, and play without pain.Axes Physical Therapy delivers quality hand therapy near you. Contact us today to get more information about our hand therapy program or to schedule your first appointment.

What is Hand Therapy?

Hand therapy is specialized type of occupational or physical therapy. Hand therapists address acute and chronic conditions of the fingers, hands, wrists, arms, and elbows. Hand therapy is used to improve your upper extremity comfort and function where needed.

Anatomy, physiology, and joint kinesiology principles are combined in hand therapy to understand and treat. Experienced hand therapists apply their extensive knowledge and understanding of how the human hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, arm and shoulder work together so that their patients can perform activities of daily living, go to work, or play sports. Hand therapists undergo continuous education on clinically researched best practices and medically proven approaches to managing upper extremity injuries. They apply scientific evidence and work closely with the best orthopedic and plastic hand surgeons in the Lake St. Louis, MO. The exact treatment is always dependent upon the patient, their condition, and their goals.

Hand Therapists

A physical therapist or occupational therapist who has specifically trained in treating the hand, wrist, arm, elbow, and shoulder is a hand therapist. They must go through advanced education and have clinical experience treating a wide variety of conditions including traumas, chronic diseases, muscoskeletal injuries, neurological conditions, and deformities that affect the upper extremity.

Physical and occupational therapists must complete an exacting certification process to obtain a special hand therapy license. These professionals hold the title of a Certified Hand Therapist – also known as a CHT. There is a rigorous qualification process that one must complete in order to qualify as a CHT. That process includes three years of professional practice including 4,000 hours of upper extremity treatment and an intensive certification exam. In addition, hand therapists must qualify again every five years to retain their certification.

Axes Physical Therapy employs a team of the Lake St. Louis, MO area’s top physical therapists and occupational therapists, including several accomplished Certified Hand Therapists. Our dedicated CHT’s work continuously to meet the rigorous demands required to maintain their certification and provide the best hand therapy to all of Axes’ patients. We ensure that each patient is paired with the treatment provider who is best equipped to meet his or her hand therapy needs.

Hand Therapy Applications

Hand therapy treats upper extremity complains such as:

• Chronic conditions (i.e. osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis)
• Acute and chronic pain
• Swelling
• Joint injuries
• Fractures
• strains and sprains
• Joint dislocation
• Burns
• Tendon lacerations
• Post-surgical management and rehabilitation
• Tendonitis and tendonosis
• Compression syndromes (i.e. carpal tunnel)
• Nerve and neurological conditions
• Infections
• Amputations and limb and digit reattachments

Axes Physical Therapy Lake St. Louis, MO treatment for your hand, wrist, or elbow complaint will be delivered with the expert care of a Certified Hand Therapist. In addition to the highly technical evaluation and treatment of your upper extremity injury, you will also benefit from the comprehensive approach all our patients receive. We treat each patient entirely – from the source of your discomfort to the activities your condition has affected – with a focus on helping you reach your occupational needs. Our client-centered approach means that we prioritize your personal experience in your recovery. Your Lake St. Louis, MO hand therapy specialist will formulate an intricate treatment plan based on your history, medical and surgical procedures (if any), and your goals for recovery.

When you are trying to determine whether Lake St. Louis, MO hand therapy is for you, consider what this treatment option can do for you. Hand therapy offers:

• A treatment solution that doesn’t require surgery
• Improved upper extremity function
• Management of acute and chronic pain
• Reduced sensitivity to nerve-related problems
• Recovery from tendon and nerve injuries
• Improved movement and strength
• Reduced stiffness
• New, modified ways to execute everyday activities
• Preparation to return to work

Lake St. Louis, MO Hand Therapy Treatment

Hand therapy treatment is unique to each injury and patient. Your hand therapy treatment team will apply their skill and expertise in upper extremity anatomy and function combined with an in-depth understanding of your personal goals and priorities. Depending on the nature of your injury or condition, the affected areas, and what kind of activities you wish to return to, your hand therapist will conceive of a treatment plan that works for you. Focus may be given to improving strength, reducing stiffness, managing pain, practicing movement, or preventing further medical complications like infection and improper healing.

Your Lake St. Louis, MO hand therapist will employ non-operative interventions, preventative care, and rehabilitation strategies to guide you back to the upper extremity function that is important in your daily life. Patients of all kinds, from those with simple isolated fingertip injuries, complex chronic conditions, and everyone in between all count on Lake St. Louis, MO hand therapy to remaster the everyday motions and functions they need and want to do – such as unlocking and opening doors – on top of the occupational tasks specific to their unique lives – such as performing work duties like typing and lifting and personal functions like holding a baby.

There are a wide variety of treatment methods that may be employed in hand therapy treatment. In order to receive the best results, it’s important that you take an active role in your Lake St. Louis, MO hand therapy. Your hand therapist will carefuly discuss with you and consult with your medical providers to evaluate which treatments are most appropriate and best meet your needs.

Hand therapy may include:

• Home exercises
• Education
• Functional activities
• Exercise
• Manual interventions
• Relearning muscle or neural movements
• Work simulations
• Laceration care
• Dexterity training
• Custom splinting
• Wound and scar care

Other care and treatment provided by Axes Physical Therapy are things such as:

• Manual Physical Therapy
• Orthopedic Rehab Near Me
• Beginner Running Program
• Chronic Pain Treatment
• Spine Specialist Near Me
• MCL Injury
• Shoulder Pain
• Injury Prevention
• Mobility
• Knee Injury

Hand Therapy Treatment Near Lake St. Louis, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

You have a hand, wrist, arm, or shoulder injury or condition that makes getting around day-to-day difficult on your own. Through our Certified Hand Therapists, Axes Physical Therapy’s hand therapy provides the expert care and treatment that will restore the movement, flexibility, and strength necessary to accomplish the tasks you come across every day.

Finger, hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, arm, and shoulder conditions and injuries are often complex, and recovery if often a challenge. Put your recovery in the hands of the top Lake St. Louis, MO hand therapists by scheduling an appointment with Axes Physical Therapy today. Our several locations that offer hand therapy are locally owned and operated, with this one conveniently located in the Lake St. Louis, MO area. Contact us or request an appointment online today.