How can we help?

Following a detailed assessment, the clinical specialist hand therapist will design an individually tailored treatment programme with clearly identified goals. The treatment programme will be for you to continue on your own at home. All advice given is sent to you electronically to ensure you can read it over and again as you need and you are not reliant on remembering multiple complex concepts. Usually exercises form part of the treatment programme. If so, these will be sent to you in both a printable copy and also as video narrated clips so you can watch them yourself to ensure perfect technique.

The treatment programme may include:

Teaching very specific exercises
Making thermoplastic or neoprene custom-made splints
Specific self-administered massage, use of kinesiology tape and compression techniques for swelling
Prescribing specific activities to carry out which address your personal functional goals
Using self-administered massage and silicone products for scars which are either tethered or hypertrophic
Teaching functional approaches (such as joint protection techniques) for preservation of arthritic joints while maintaining independence
Use of manual techniques and kinesiology tape to enhance muscle function, for example in overuse syndromes such as tennis elbow
Motor imagery and proprioception techniques for pain and instability

The hand therapists aim to empower you to carry out your own home programmes in order that you make the optimum recovery. Follow up appointments involve review of your progress and upgrading your programme. This is to ensure you achieve the best outcome with as few appointments as possible.

Assessment

Measurement of range of movement of every joint of the fingers, thumb, wrist and forearm is important to ensure we identity specific deficits in motion.

Following the assessment, very specific exercises will be prescribed. As your movement improves, these exercises will be reviewed and upgraded. All exercises are sent in video- narrated format to ensure you have easy access to correct technique. This improves your outcome.