Hand Therapy: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

 

What is Hand Therapy?

Hand therapy is a kind of rehabilitation done or offered by a physiotherapist or occupational therapist to their patients suffering from disease and conditions that affect the body's upper part, including the forearm, hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder. The upper part of our body allows us to do a lot of movements and activities by improving our strength and dexterity. We are aware of our body, including the upper part of our body, which comprises bones, nerves, veins, muscles, ligaments, and multiple connective tissues that may get easily damaged due to multiple reasons. When the upper part of our body gets damaged, the physiotherapist or hand therapist bridges the gap between medical assistance and post-treatment rehabilitation, allowing an individual to come back to their normal life.

Proper rehabilitation is possible through implementing advanced technology, following clinical experience, and applying the knowledge of anatomy, kinesiology( Muscle testing to find out the imbalance between body structure, emotional and chemical energy as well), and physiology ( the study of organs of our body). A certified hand therapist offers pain treatment without doing surgery, and they guide you on how to manage pain and how to get rid of it. They also help you to cope with sensitivity that comes from nerve problems,His job is to help you create splints to inhibit and improve muscle stiffness, help you perform regular activities in a better way, and guide you with effective home exercises to improve hand movement, build strength, and live a pain-free quality life.

 

How is the hand therapy treatment performed?

A certified and experienced hand therapist will check your deformity, sensitivity, swelling, and difference in color to identify the recovery scope, limitation, and seriousness of the trauma or injury. Their main objective is to restore your arm function, limit the adverse effect of infection, and prevent upper limb dysfunction through rehabilitation. They usually offer non-operative, preventive, and conservative treatment. Therapists work with patients and orthopedic surgeons to give optimum medical care and assistance.

A hand therapist must have certifications and credentials in physiotherapy and medical physiology. Hand therapists should have a minimum of 5 years of experience and 4,000 hours of clinical experience for hand ailment recovery. They must be aware of modern tools and techniques used in the physiotherapy medical field. Thus, a CHT or certified hand therapist work with different tools and technologies such as joint mobilization, wound care, soft tissue mobilization, edema control, scar management, ergonomic/workstation instruction, biofeedback functionality, pain management, splint fabrication, electrical stimulation, manual therapy, shortwave diathermy, hot and cold therapy treatment.

A hand therapy exercise offers sustainable relief from pain, reduces muscle weakness and nerve sensitivity, increases arm flexibility, and improves gripping or holding capacity. A series of hand therapy exercises help you make splints to inhibit or recover stiffness and allow you to get back to your job.

 

Who is suitable for treatment?

Hand therapy is applicable for a large category of patients suffering from multiple bone-related complications such as fractures, traumatic injury accident, tendinitis, lacerations (lesions), muscle tear, trauma, hypersensitivity, wound complex regional pain syndrome ( CRPS), arthritis, stroke, amputation at the finger.

 

Who is not eligible for the treatment?

Assuming the injury or injury is explicit to some other body parts like legs, back or mid-region, then, at that point, you won't go through hand treatment and, on second thought, go through exercise-based recuperation or different structures treatments.

Are there any side effects?

There will be no severe side effects after hand therapy but if it is done with the wrong technique or performed by an unprofessional occupational therapist, go to an orthopedic surgeon immediately if you are experiencing immense pain because pain may demotivate you to go further hand therapy. If you have severe pain, talk to your doctor immediately. You may experience inflammation along with laceration. Consult with your therapist to apply an ice pack after a hand therapy session. You may feel inflammation, soreness, along with pain. It can discourage you with a lack of results from hand therapy. It would be best if you kept in mind that the objective of hand therapy is to offer relief from persistent pain and stress.

 

Cost of hand therapy exercise?

Hand therapy exercise is a very important thing during the rehabilitation period. It typically costs about $140-$ 250 for initial identification, then $70-$450 per hour. It depends on the kind of services and the therapist. If a hand therapist has many years of experience, he may charge more. Costs tend to be higher in multispecialty hospitals than personal chambers. For example, single session one-to-one, a hand therapy provider in Texas who does not claim insurance directly charges $50 per hour. In contrast, Garden City Hospital charges $ 100 per session; it is 2X higher. In contrast, Hospitals in Pennsylvania charge $200 for initial evaluation then $ 70 for a 30-minute session.