What is a Certified Hand Therapist?

A hand therapist is most of the time an occupational who through advanced study, specialized in rehabilitating patients with problems affecting the hands and arms.

This high degree of specialization enables the hand therapist to work effectively with patients and hasten their return to a productive lifestyle.

Your therapist will have the credentials CHT next to her name if she is an certified hand therapist.

Who is seen in Hand Therapy?

Patients are usually referred for Hand Therapy from your physician.

We see patients with problems that can include the following:

• Any traumatic injuries
• Pain in joint
• Fractures of hand, wrist or elbow
• Stiffness in joints
• Swelling in limb
• Decreased functional use at work and home
• Arthritis in elbow, wrist, hand and fingers
• Scarring
• Overuse injuries like tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome
• Tendon or nerve injuries
• Joint replacement
• Neurological conditions
• And other

What can be expected in Hand Therapy?

The hand therapist will perform a thorough evaluation in order to assess the patient’s problems and degree of dysfunction. A customized treatment program is then designed to decrease some of these problems. It may include some of the following:

• Pain management
• Range of motion
• Stretches
• Strengthening
• Sensory stimulation
• Dexterity
• Nerve mobilization
• Soft tissue mobilization
• Edema management
• Scar Management
• Activities of life retraining
• Static or dynamic splinting
• Therapeutic modalities e.g ultrasound, electrical stimulation, iontophoresis, phonopheresis, heat or cold therapy
• Work rehabilitation

The hand is essential for everyday functional activities. Every hand has 29 bones, 29 major joints, 123 ligaments, 34 muscles to move the finger and thumb, 48 nerves and 30 named arteries

Occupational and Hand Therapy Staff:

Zenda Lewis, OTR/L, CHT, CWCE, CLT
Heather McDaniel, OTR/L