Occupational Therapy Can Help You Recover After an Injury

Jan 20, 2024

chronic pain, Occupational therapy

Are you struggling with your day-to-day tasks since injuring your wrist or hand? Did you recently hurt your fingers, break your wrist or have surgery? Too often, we take for granted how vital the health of our hands is for our everyday life. At Therapy West PT & Sports Medicine, our occupational therapists specialize in treating the upper extremity to ensure you get back to doing what you love!

Our qualified hand therapists will evaluate and treat any problem related to the upper extremity. We specialize in treating upper extremity problems ranging from traumas like a fracture or sprains and strains. We are also highly skilled at treating overuse-type injuries and even the most complex hand injuries to ensure you get the best results quickly!

If you have an injury or recently had surgery on your upper extremity or some medical condition that is causing you pain and preventing you from enjoying the things you love, our occupational therapists can help.

At Therapy West PT & Sports Medicine, our hand therapists can help you with personalized care to make sure you can resolve any pain or injury and regain your quality of life as soon as possible!

Call today to schedule a consultation with one of our therapists and see how we can help you find long-lasting relief once and for all!

What are the most common causes of upper extremity pain?

The key to finding lasting relief is identifying the symptoms’ specific location and duration. It is also very important to identify the things that aggravate your pain or activities that are limited due to restrictions in mobility or some weakness.

The more localized a condition, the more likely it is to come from a nearby source. In contrast, diffuse symptoms and symptoms that spread across multiple locations often come from another region in the body. For example, people with untreated wrist pain or injury will notice symptoms in their elbow or shoulder regions.

When it comes to shoulder injuries, heavy lifting (especially overhead and pushing type movements), repetitive motion (especially in the overhead positions), and awkward movements and lifts can influence the severity of symptoms and disability.

Aching or stiffness around the front or the side of the shoulder is often due to a tendon/rotator cuff injury. In comparison, pain in the back of the shoulder is likely coming from the joint itself. Limited shoulder range of motion due to pain, an injury, or weakness can affect a person’s ability to perform daily activities (eating, dressing, personal hygiene) and work responsibilities.

Overuse injuries and/or traumas are the leading causes of elbow pain. Many sports, hobbies, and jobs require repetitive movements leading to overuse, whereas falls are the most common traumatic injuries.

The inner and outer aspect of the elbow is commonly thought to be where most people experience tendon or ligament injuries (i.e., tennis elbow and little leaguer’s elbow). Typically, the pain will be sharp at the junction of the tendon and bone but may refer to the forearm generally due to tendon-related injury or inflammation.

Overuse-type injuries are also widespread sources of wrist pain and dysfunction. Activities like manual labor and jobs requiring computer use or other types of repetitive movements will often lead to pain and injury in the wrist region.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common disorder with multiple interrelated factors contributing to the condition, like improper form/position (aka ergonomics) and repetitive tasks. Whereas the most common cause of traumatic injuries like fractures and sprains/strains to the wrist is falling onto outstretched arms.

As with most injuries, the sooner you address them, the sooner you will find relief!

What to expect from your Therapy West PT & Sports Medicine sessions

An occupational therapist is an excellent solution for you, no matter the cause of your shoulder, elbow, wrist, or hand pain. At Therapy West PT & Sports Medicine in Gunnison, UT, our therapists assess your particular condition to identify and address the contributing factors.

Your Gunnison, UT therapist will start with a comprehensive evaluation and injury assessment to determine the source of your pain, range of motion, strength, and current abilities. In addition, a thorough history to learn more about your injury and past medical history will help guide your treatment.

This information will help us customize activities and exercises to help you resolve your pain and restore your function. Our treatments typically include manual therapy, joint mobilization manipulation, therapeutic exercise, and nerve and tendon glide techniques widely used for effective results.

It is necessary to include techniques like KT taping and customized splint fabrication to protect from more damage and stabilize injured areas to help alleviate pain and restore function for specific conditions. Our therapists will use all the tools to help manage or alleviate the acute or chronic pain, weakness, or mobility deficits you may be experiencing.

Occupational therapy at Therapy West PT & Sports Medicine in Gunnison, UT offers programs that can reduce your overall risk of sustaining an upper extremity injury and help you recover if you’ve been hurt.

Request an appointment today!

If you have suffered a recent injury or have a chronic problem affecting your ability to use your arm(s), our occupational therapists at Therapy West PT & Sports Medicine in Gunnison, UT can help!

Call today to request an appointment, and let us address your pain early on and prevent it from becoming more debilitating!

Occupational Therapy Can Help You Recover After an Injury