The hands are one of the most used exterior parts of the body. You use them for several activities and tasks every single day. The only time your hands can rest is when you are asleep. Using the hands is automatic, so you do not count how you use them – washing, cleaning the house, cooking, washing dishes and clothes, making phone calls, and playing. At this time, when remote working is part of the new normal rote, you use your hands more as you spend additional hours using your computer.
You rely on your hands, and like most people, you’ll only notice that there are many things you cannot do when your hand is injured.
Hand therapy
Sustaining a hand injury is quite common, but it is better not to ignore the injury, however minor it is, because it can lead to more severe damage. You can treat a little cut at home. However, you should seek medical treatment if you lose the function of your hand. The treatment usually needs physical therapy to rehabilitate your hand.
Hand therapy involves treating the range of motion and strength of an individual’s hands, wrists, lower and upper arms, elbows, and shoulders. The issue could be a chronic condition or an injury that requires therapeutic assistance, such as non-operative therapy, post-operational rehabilitation, and preventive care. A hand therapist focuses on the muscles and joints of the affected area to help the patient complete their regular tasks despite their impairment or by lessening the pain and improving mobility.
Aside from therapeutic assistance, such as reflexology, massages, or exercises, other activities can help improve hand mobility. For example, you can use a therapy ball, an innovative hand exercise ball embedded with the Internet of Things technology to gamify physical therapy and rehabilitation exercises.
Different hand injuries
Injuries to your hand can be visible, such as gashes and wounds, and some can be felt, such as difficulty in movement, bruising, swelling, severe pain, and stiffness. These injuries can include the following.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendonitis
- Nerve and tendon injuries
- Fractures
- Sprains
These injuries, which can be repetitive stress injury or sports injury, need immediate medical treatment to avoid sustaining permanent damage. The treatment will depend on your occupation, general state of health, age, and the injury’s severity.
Treatments can be through surgery, cast, brace, or splint. After the injury heals, you may undergo a long period of rehabilitation therapy. Hand therapy is created to prevent stiffness or joints, strengthen muscles and help you regain range of motion. They are specific activities that may include strengthening exercises, mobilization exercises, and heat treatment.
The rehabilitation therapies are likewise selected and developed depending on your work. You can have simulated or actual work tasks to help you return to work successfully. For repetitive stress injuries, the therapist may devise techniques for joint protection. If you had a severe hand injury, the therapist could create a regimen you can do every day so you can function without help.
Ensure that you get medical treatment when you injure your hand. After your medical treatment, make sure you work with a professional hand therapist to bring back the natural function of your hand.
Image Credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/orthopedics-bandage-hand-chalk-3536790/
