Hand and occupational therapy may provide relief for your hands, elbows, and wrists.
We use our hands, arms, and elbows constantly, whether we’re working, playing, or even just relaxing. Our upper body has a big job to do, and it can’t perform the way it’s supposed to if you’re experiencing pain and joint stiffness in any of these areas. The good news is that there is a safe and effective way to handle upper extremity pain and discomfort: hand and occupational therapy at our clinic.
Our clinic has a wonderful staff of skilled therapists who can not only diagnose your condition and treat your symptoms, but also keep your pain from coming back in the future.
Our innovative care strategies at Hand In Hand Rehabilitation will help you find quick relief. Call us to learn more about our therapeutic services and how they can benefit your condition.
Causes of upper extremity pain
Common issues that can lead to joint, elbow, hand, and/or wrist pain include:
- Poor posture
- Bursitis, which occurs when the fluid-filled sacs (bursae) in the elbow become inflamed
- Heavy lifting
- Athletic injuries
- Work injuries
- Muscle sprain
- Muscle strain
- Dislocation or hyperextension of the joints
Several conditions can cause you to experience pain or weakness in your hands, wrists, joints, or elbows.
Carpal tunnel syndrome
One very common reason for hand and wrist pain is carpal tunnel syndrome. If you notice your hands, wrists, or forearms ache daily, or that typing and lifting have become particularly difficult and uncomfortable for you, you may have this condition.
Your carpal tunnel is a narrow channel, about the width of your thumb, located on your wrist under the palm. It protects the median nerve, as well as the tendons you use to bend your fingers. When excessive pressure is put on the median nerve, it causes crowding and irritation of the carpal tunnel, making it difficult for it to do its job.
Carpal tunnel syndrome causes painful stinging sensations with arm, hand, or wrist movement. The pain typically radiates through the fingers, hands, wrists, or forearms. This condition can develop from overuse of the wrist and regular, repetitive motions, such as typing or writing.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow refers to an overuse injury causing inflammation of the tendons in the forearm, which can make it painful and difficult to lift and move the arm. With this condition, pain may be felt throughout the entire upper extremity.
While it is commonly found in tennis players, it can also be caused by other sports and activities, including softball, baseball, raking leaves, and even excessive typing on a computer.
Arthritis
There are many kinds of arthritis, however, one thing that most cases of arthritis have in common is that they cause a person to experience mild to severe pain in their joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Arthritis pain is also directly linked to the limitation of mobility in these areas. This condition can affect anyone at any age, but is very commonly found in the hands of aging adults, and can cause swelling, stiffness, weakness, and inflammation that makes it difficult to grasp items or comfortably move the hands and fingers.
How can an occupational therapist relieve my pain?
Occupational therapy
Our clinic’s occupational therapy services offer a safe, effective, and non-invasive treatment option that is designed to relieve pain resulting from a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, sports injuries, workplace injuries, overuse injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, and more.
An occupational therapist’s goal is to show you new ways to comfortably do things you’ve been unable to do because of pain. For example, if you develop carpal tunnel from constantly sitting at your computer, typing all day for work, this could make it hard for you to do your job because you’re in pain.
They can help you to improve your workspace and make it more ergonomic for less risk of injury in the future. You’ll also receive education on how to sit properly, position your shoulders, hands, and wrists as you type, and perform stretches throughout the day that will keep your body more relaxed while you work.
Hand therapy
If you’re living with arthritis pain or recovering from a sports-related injury such as tennis elbow, a hand therapist can help you to regain and maintain as much strength and range of motion as possible. Hand therapists provide safe and conservative methods to help treat pain in your elbows, hands, and joints.
Your hand therapist can help you identify the best methods of treatment for your specific needs and design an individualized treatment plan accordingly. They can also help you identify the best range of motion and strength-building activities to reduce your likelihood of worsening your condition or developing it again in the future.
The goal of hand therapy is to help you return to your normal work, home, and sports activities, free of pain in your hands and upper extremities. Your hand therapist can help identify what activities might be aggravating your symptoms and will discuss any activity modifications you may need to make.
Stretching and strengthening of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand, and modalities may be used in your treatment. These consist of technologies such as heat, cold laser, iontophoresis, ultrasound, and massage.
Are you in search of pain relief?
Pain relief is just a phone call away. Whether you are living with arthritis and joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, or have sustained an injury to your elbow or wrist, our team of physical and occupational therapists will be more than happy to assess and treat your upper extremity pain. Contact us or schedule an appointment today at Hand In Hand Rehabilitation.
