Hands For Living_Take Care of Your Hands

Hands For Living_Take Care of Your Hands

NEWSLETTER

Start Feeling Better Fast After a Hand or Wrist Injury Take Care Of Your Hands

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NEWSLETTER

What is Occupational Therapy?

INSIDE: • GET THE CORRECT DIAGNOSIS FOR YOUR INJURY • DON’T LET HAND PAIN RUIN YOUR WINTER • HAND EXERCISE

Occupational therapists and physical therapists can both become specialized and earn the CHT(CertifiedHandTherapist) designation, so in hand therapyclinics,you could see either one! However, 85% of CHTs are occupational therapists, as are all of us at Hands for Living. In spite of the similarities in this specialtyarea, PTs and OTs have different original training and focus. Print sudoku http://1sudoku.com

Physical and OccupationalTherapies have manythings in common: Both forms of treatment have been around since the late 1800’s and early1900’s, both instruct in injuryprevention and avoidance, both educate about the healing process, and both assist in improving their client’s ability to perform daily activities. The difference is in focus of treatment. Physical Therapy focuses on the physical rehabilitation of the human body recovering from injuryor disease. The main goal is to increase physical mobilityand strength.Theyalso teach their clients how to prevent further injury and how to manage chronic conditions. Occupational Therapy also considers the physical aspects of rehabilitation (such as range of motion and strength) but the focus is on “what do you need to DO with your shoulder, arm, or hand?” What are the meaningful activities of daily life (your “occupations”)? OT’s holistically look at not only the physical capabilities needed to perform these tasks, but also the mental and social skills. We help people to develop, recover and maintain these meaningful activities, or modify and adapt to life’s challenges.

What doyou need or want to do thatyou cannot do right now? Occupational therapycan help!

Are you in Pain? Call Today And Start Feeling Better Fast! 425-368-7943

Laurie Walters, OTR/L, CHT

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This Month’s Sudoku! TAKE IT EASY LEVEL The goal of Sudoku is to fill in a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, row, and 3×3 section contain the numbers between 1 to 9. At the beginning of the game, the 9×9 grid will have some of the squares filled in. Your job is to use logic to fill in the missing digits and complete the grid.

1

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8 2 1 5

7 9 5

4

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1

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Get The Correct Diagnosis & Treatment for Your Hand Or Wrist Injury

At this time of year it isn’t difficult to imagine what would happen if you slipped on a patch of wet ground and fell. Chances are, you would reach out to try to brace yourself against the impact.This reflex is hardwired intoyour brain and reacts within 10 to 30 milliseconds after tripping to protect you from serious injury. In the best of circumstances, you end up with a bruised ego. In the worst, a fall on snow, ice or otherwise slippery surface can result in serious injury to your hands or wrists. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, one out of five falls causes a broken bone or other serious injury. Broken Bone When it comes to slipping and falling, the most common injury to a wrist is a buckle fracture, or incomplete fracture to the radius. This bone runs along the thumb side of your wrist fromyour wrist toyour elbow and takes the brunt of a fall when you reach down to try to catch yourself. Buckle fractures are particularly painful to the touch and often swell at the site of the break. Most commonly, these wrist injuries are treated with a splint or cast while the bone heals. Once the splint is removed, the wrist, hand and fingers will be weaker than they were before the injury because they have not been in use. At this point, it is important to complete a hand therapytreatment program to regain the strength and mobility in your wrist to avoid injuryto the weakened tendons, ligaments andmuscles. Wrist Sprain After a fall, if there is no sign of broken bones, your wrist may be sprained. Some people refer to it as “jammed”. In simplest terms, a sprain happens when ligaments that hold bones in

place with other bones are stretched or slightly torn. Since there are eight bones in the wrist, known as carpals, there are a series of ligaments that hold them in place that are at risk for being sprained in a fall. Unfortunately, a wrist sprain, while painful, takes time to heal. However, that does not mean you need to keep your wrist immobile while it does. Targeted exercises followed by ice therapy and compression are great for helping a wrist staymobile and strong while it heals. Hand therapy also strengthens the surrounding muscles and tissue to keep the wrist in place during normal activities.This, in turn, helps the wrist heal properly, prevents injury in the future and keepsyou from experiencing lasting pain from a simple injury. Wrist Strain Medically, the difference between a wrist sprain and a wrist strain are the soft tissues involved. In a sprain, ligaments are stretched or torn. In a strain, muscles are injured. While most people think of wrists as having ligaments and bones, but not much muscle, the wrist is the attachment site of several muscles in the forearm. It is possible to fall on your wrist, hyperextending the tendons found there, causing them to tear. Strains are treated similarlyto sprains.Time, compression, ice, and targeted exercises can help speed the healing process for wrist strains. Although hand therapy is the ideal solution for helping an injured wrist heal, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Do your best to stay home while it is icy outside. If you must venture out, wear low heeled, sturdy shoes with gripping soles and walk slowly and carefully. Your wrists will thank you for it.

Patient Spotlights “Warm, encouraging, caring, understanding” “My therapist encouraged me to do whatever I could, or felt comfortable doing. She helped me to find the typical time frame an injury such as mine takes to heal, then explained how I have done better then typically by. My most significant overall change was how quickly the pain subsided and my flexion has improved. My therapist is warm, encouraging, caring, understanding and a great listener. She is clear and concise with her care and instructions.” - Tracy U. Top Ten Family Spring Break Destinations 1. Orlando-Walt Disney World 2. Bahamas 3. Washington, D.C. 4. Grand Canyon 5. Honolulu - Oahu

Hand Exercise Helps With Weakness and Pain

Pinchtipoffingerandthumbtogether.Holdfor5seconds repeat 8 times. PINCH GRIP www.simpleset.net

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