There is no doubt that a major part in our lives for different tasks and activities is played by hand. Nevertheless, hand-related issues due to injury, disease, or overuse may impair our functionality and quality of life.
If you are having hand problems, you probably are asking yourself if physical therapy could be the answer. Luckily, there is good news since physical therapists in FYZICAL Berkeley Heights offer specialised treatments for hand conditions, improving hand function.
Understanding Hand Conditions
The human hand is quite complex, made up of bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. If an injury or condition affects these structures, then there might be pain, weakness, and limited range of motion that makes it hard to perform simple activities.
Some conditions of the hand are common and may benefit from Hand Rehab Services Berkeley Heights, such as:
Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis cause inflammation in the little joints of the hands and wrists. This results in swollen pain, stiffness, and deformities that impair grip strength, pinching ability, or twisting capacity. Typing with this condition can be difficult as it affects fingers. Several different diseases could affect the hands:
- Rheumatoid arthritis – A disease where the immune system attacks the body and harms tissues
- Osteoarthritis – A situation where joint cartilage degenerates, leading to stiffness and bone spurs
- Psoriatic arthritis – An inflammation resulting from psoriasis on hand joints
Tendinitis
Tendinitis has various forms that impair the biomechanics and mobility of the hand/wrist:
- De Quervain’s tenosynovitis – refers to the painful inflammation of wrist tendons, which are used for extending the thumb.
- Stenosing tenosynovitis or trigger finger – is a condition where the tendons in fingers cannot slide easily through their respective pulleys and, therefore, causes them to catch or lock.
- Intersection syndrome – occurs when one tendon passes across another within the wrist.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
The nerve is compressed at the wrist, causing carpal tunnel syndrome. Numbness occurs in addition to tingling and weakness of the thumb, index finger, and middle finger.
Fractures and Dislocations
When not properly immobilised, these injuries cause severe edema, distortion, and restriction of movement; they can include fractures of bones in the hand/wrist or dislocation of joints in the finger/wrist.
Post-Surgical Rehabilitation
Remember, for example, that Berkeley Heights Physical Therapy is necessary after surgeries such as tendon repair, joint fusion, and fracture repair to help patients regain the strength and movements they have lost from immobility.
The Role of Physical Therapy for Hand Conditions
Physical therapists are educated to assess and manage hand problems using different techniques. Physical therapy can help with these hand issues in the following ways:
Evaluation and Assessment
It should be noted that a complete physical therapy assessment will assess strength, range of motion, sensation, pain levels and functional abilities of the hand during activities such as grasping objects, picking things up with your fingers, pushing/pulling actions etc. An evaluation of posture and ergonomics is done to determine factors at work or home that lead to or worsen this state.
Pain Management
Pain and inflammation in acute periods can be reduced through various methods, including gentle hands-on techniques, ultrasound, cryotherapy, iontophoresis, and electrical stimulation. Therapeutic exercises are given for better motion without much pain.
Range of Motion and Flexibility
Physical therapists can improve finger and wrist motion range that may have been limited by swelling, lack of use, formation of scar tissue or positioning through stretching and mobilisation exercises. Joint mobility is improved by therapists using mobilisation techniques.
Strength and Endurance
Progressive strengthening exercises focus on grip strength, pinch strength, and endurance of the intrinsic hand muscles through isometric and dynamic exercises using therapeutic putties, exercise balls, and grippers once pain and mobility allow.
Functional Training
Occupational therapists use functional task simulations such as carrying things, opening up bottles of jars, writing, using cutlery, keying in, and occupational challenges depending on their client’s goals to enhance coordination and dexterity. Such training combines the hand with wider patterns of functionality.
Education and Home Exercise Programs
Education about how to keep oneself safe from accidents, posture and ergonomic-related injuries, malaise self-management tactics, and giving out exercise regimens used at home to solidify further what has been achieved in the process is provided by physiotherapists.
If you are in Berkeley Heights, NJ, and have a condition or injury in your hand that needs professional treatment, call FYZICAL Berkeley Heights for physical therapy services such as those addressing the hand.
Conclusion
Our daily lives and total freedom may be affected to a great extent by hand conditions. In dealing with pain, increasing motion range and strength, plus enhancing functional abilities, physical therapy is critical in treating hand-related problems.
By developing individualised intervention plans and treatment programs, the highly skilled physical therapists at FYZICAL Berkeley Heights help people in Berkeley Heights, NJ, restore their hands back to normal activity levels.
