HandsForLiving_Hands For The Holidays

NEWSLETTER

Hands For The Holidays Avoid Hand Pain During the Holidays

www.handsforliving.com

NEWSLETTER We’re settling in!

By: JoAnn Keller, OTD, OTR/L, CHT

After a couple of delays, we officially moved in, with our first day in the new clinic on Monday, October 29. As with any move, we are still looking for some things, and have projects left to complete, but we are thoroughly enjoying having more space in every aspect! We have a fully private treatment room, a dedicated area for making custom braces (orthoses), several

treatment stations, and more room for active exercises. It’salsoa treat tohave largewindows allalongonesideoftheclinicarea! Weevensaw a bald eagle on day 1. It seems like a good sign. Please stop by and see us, even if it’s just to say hi and see our new digs! We love seeing people fromthecommunitythatwehavehelpedbefore.

Safety In the Kitchen This Holiday Season

By Helen Reilly, OTR/L

My first job was working in a bakery. I ended up with lots of small burns onmyforearmsandupper arms, and the worst ones were from taking cookies out of a high convection oven. It took a while, but

• Keep your knives sharp. Dull edges on blades make you use more force to cut into an object, which can cause it to slip. • Place knives into soapy dish water only when you are ready to wash them – reaching blindly into dishwater with a knife or other sharp objects is risky. • Let falling knives or glasses fall. Try to avoid the urge to grab them suddenly. • Cut away from your body. • Keeppotholdersnearby;usekitchenmitts • Place a damp cloth under the cutting board to prevent it from slipping • Useanelectriccanopenertoprotectyour thumbsfrom nastycutsorwearand tear on your thumbs.

• Turn handles away from the front of the stove to prevent scalding accidents • Keep the floor dry so no one slips and falls • Dress for the occasion. Wear close-toed shoes, natural fiber clothing (synthetics melt) and avoid loose clothing. Keep long hair tied back and remove dangly bracelets that can catch on pot handles. • Andonefor thoseofuswhoarevertically challenged: Use a step stool to reach high places Most of all, plan and prepare before you start. Ingeneral,observingbasickitchensafety rules is a great habit to develop and a sure recipe for cooking fun!

over time I learned several lessons. The most importantone? Kitchensaredangerousplaces, particularly for hands and arms. Herearesometipstoprevent injuriescommonly seen in hand therapy: • Use a spoon (instead of a knife) to take out an avocado pit. • Cutopenabagelonacuttingboard–not in your hand.

Your Hands Will Be Ready For The Holidays

We use our hands for nearly all our daily activities. Everything from cooking dinner to doing even the most minor household chores requires our hands to be in top condition. With the holidays right around the corner, we need our hands to be in the best shape possible. There are several conditions and problems that can cause your hands to lose mobility. Call our office to schedule a free consultation to find out how hand therapy can improve how well your hands move and function. Sprained Ligaments and Strained Tendons An injury or repetitive motions can result in sprained ligaments or strainedmuscles and tendons. Depending on the severity of the injury, there are several treatment options available. Mild cases may heal on theirownandonlyrequireover-the-counter meds to relieve pain. Severe injuries might require surgery. Most injuries that fall somewhere between will likely benefit from the expertise of a hand therapist. After evaluating your condition, a trained hand therapist might create customized splints and other types of materials for your hands and wrists to help them heal fromsprains and strains.Theymayalso be able to provide different types of massage to help strengthen ligaments and tendons in the hand.

Wounds & Infections A deep cut or puncture wound can cause pain and soreness that makes it difficult to lift itemsoruseutensils.Bacterial infections maynot onlycause a reduction of strength andoverallfunctioning,butcanalsocause a loss of nerve, skin, and bone tissue. How you treatyour hands when recovering will determine not onlyhow quicklytheyheal, but if there are any lingering side-effects. Specialized exercises done with a hand therapist can help increase circulation and promote the healing of cuts and wounds. Ifyou’re experiencing anytype of infection or wound inyour handsyou’ll want to start a treatment program as soon as possible to make sure your hands are in excellent condition before the holidays. Post-Surgery Treatment If you’ve had any type of surgery on your hands or wrist area you’ll want to recover the full use of your hands as quickly as possible. After surgery the joints and muscles in your hands may become stiff and lose strength. Sometimes fluid build- up will occur after a surgical procedure. You may need compression bandages or certain types of wraps to help improve healing after surgery. Hand therapy after surgery can help reduce swelling, control pain, and limit the amount of scaring you experience.

Scars After injuries and certain types of infections, your hands may be left with visible scarring. Sometimes massage can help limit scarring and reduce the appearance of the scar. It’s important to start massaging the area as soon as possible after the wound or the infection has healed.The appearance of manyscars can be reduced if the correct type of hand therapy is started soon after sutures have been removed and all scabs are gone. Scars not only can cause you to feel self- conscious, but can also limit your range of motion. You’ll want your hands to look great and be flexible enough to do all the activitiesthatneeddoneduringtheholiday season. Whatever problems you may be having withyour hands, Hands for Living can help you get your hands in fantastic condition for the holidays. Whether it’s healing from an injury or a wound, post-surgery treatment,orstrengthening ligamentsand tendons in your hands and wrist, Hands for Living can provide you with excellent treatment from our highly trained hand therapists. Call our office todayto find out howwe can getyour hands in great shape in time for the holidays!

Do you have a family insurance plan? Have you had surgery this year? Have you used your insurance more than usual? If you answeredyes,you aremore likelyto have a $0 balance remaining on your out-of-pocket expenses. This means the cost could be minimal or completely covered by your insurance plan. Do you have unused money on your HSA account? Close to having met your insurance deductible for the year? Now is the time to come in for hand therapy! Areyou feeling aches & pains? Let us help you get a head start going into 2019, before your deductible renews again. Do More, Feel Better & Save Money This Holiday Season! Have You Met Your Insurance Deductible This Year? Call Today! 425-368-7943

Patient Spotlight “I couldn’t have asked for a better therapist.” “My therapist was very skilled and knowledgeable in what she does. She always pushed me in my exercises to do even better. When I started therapy, I really didn’t know how much it would help. After starting with JoAnn, every week I was excited to come back and show her my improvements. I couldn’t have asked for a better therapist. Thank you!” - MacKenzie R.

Clothes Pin Pinch Helps With Stiffness and Pain

Grip a clothes pin between the pad of your thumb and pad of your index finger. Pinch the clothes pin.

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