As a hand therapist, the number one challenge I hear on a daily basis is related to wiping after using the toilet. Anyone who has ever fractured a wrist, amputated a finger, or undergone hand surgery, understands the simple activities we take for granted. So how do you use the toilet after a hand injury/surgery? …
How to use the toilet after a hand injury or surgery Read More »
Fabricating a splint can be time consuming and frustrating if you’ve never done it before. When I make a capal tunnel splint, I no longer rely on patterns, but patterns can be useful at first. In this blog post, I’ll will go over the steps involved in fabricating a carpal tunnel splint (Wrist cockup) at …
How to make a carpal tunnel splint using plaster or thermoplastic Read More »
Having numbness, tingling, and pain in the hand can sometimes make toileting a little more difficult. It’s not just numbness and tingling but also the weakness and lack of coordination that makes wiping more challenging. If you’ve undergone carpal tunnel surgery, you likely have a new set of problems related to pain and hypersensitivity. I’ve …
How to use the toilet with carpal tunnel (pre/post surgery) Read More »
For a long time, I’ve wanted a list of the most commonly used splints by diagnosis as a quick reference. In this guide, I’ll list the most commonly used splint for the specific diagnosis first and other splints that may also be used. You may want to save this page by adding it to your …
Hand Therapy splints listed by Diagnosis – Complete Guide Read More »
Starting a business may seem stressful and challenging, but taking risks can help you become more passionate about your career. When I started my hand therapy business, I had literally no experience or guidance but it was a great learning experience, and it made my job more meaningful after years of feeling burned out. For …
Learning how to splint can be difficult when you’re not doing it all the time. Splinting material can also be costly, and most facilities wont let you practice on expensive materials. Also, you don’t really have the option of messing it up on a patient. So how do you practice splinting and become and expert? …
One of the main reasons people shy away from hand therapy is splinting. You might think you’re not artistic enough or able to craft a good looking splint, but like anything, you become skilled with practice. Splinting without patterns is achieved with practice, visualization, and understanding the purpose of the splint. If you want to …
If you’re a hand therapist, you need to know your hand creases. Creases make splints more functional, and they’re helpful to include in your documentation. The 5 creases every hand therapist should know include Distal palmer crease Proximal palmer crease Thenar Crease Wrist crease MP and IP crease These are the basic wrist creases. Click …
I recently saw a patient in the hospital with radial nerve palsy, and was surprised that most doctors and therapists don’t know the best splinting options for this diagnosis. Radial nerve palsy results in wrist drop or the inability to extend the wrist and digits. The digits and wrist will still flex, because the median …
Writing an SOAP note for hand therapy may be completely different than writing a note for a more familiar setting like rehab or pediatrics, but the principles are the same. In general, hand therapy notes should include specific information about measurements (ROM, strength, etc), splinting, scar tissue, wounds, patient education, response to treatment, and much …
How to write a Hand Therapy SOAP Note with examples Read More »
