Inside this Newsletter:
• Therapist Earns Certifcation in Hand Therapy
• HTA Sponsors Shoulder Course
• Therapist Attends Wound Course
• HTA Welcomes New Therapist
• The Frozen Shoulder
• Hand Therapy Health Tip
• Dates To Remember
Hand Therapy Associates now provides Cold Laser Therapy. Please call our office for more information!
Therapist Earns Certification in Hand Therapy
HTA is pleased to announce that Cate Lepage, OTR/L, CHT has earned her certification in hand therapy. Cate has over five years experience as an occupational therapist. In order to obtain her certification in hand therapy, she completed over 4000 hours in direct practice of hand therapy and passed a national comprehensive test. Please join us in congratulating her on this fantastic achievement!
A hand therapist is an occupational or physical therapist who, through advanced study, specializes in rehabilitating patients with problems affecting the hand and upper quadrant. With this high degree of specialization, the hand therapist provides specific assessments and effective care, reducing treatment time and promoting a faster return to a productive lifestyle.
Our Hand Therapy Associates staff recently sponsored and participated in a two day conference on "The Adult Shoulder". This course addressed pathology and movement disorders related to posture and scapula dysfunction. Our speaker was Ruth Coopee, MOT. OTR, CHT, CKT1, who has been providing upper extremity education nationally since 1994, while maintaining her clinical practice in Massachusetts.
HTA provides practical treatment strategies for a wide variety of shoulder problems including but not limited to: rotator cuff, tendinitis, capsulitis, impingements and fractures.
Therapist Attends Wound Course
In September 2006, Heath Jones-Stansfield, OTR/L, CHT attended the conference: Wound Care Today; A Comprehensive Understanding of Wounds & The Clinical Implications.
The conference addressed classifications of wounds, wound healing and repair, evaluation, debridement, treatment, nutrition and dressings.
Beth Peterson, OTR/L, CHT has joined our team at Hand Therapy Associates. Bether has also received her certification in hand therapy. We are very excited to have this dynamic, talented therapist join Hand Therapy Associates.
Adhesive capsulitis is one of the most common shoulder problems seen in therapy. Also know as "frozen shoulder," it often follows a period of immobilization. It presents as a shoulder joint with significant loss of range of motion in all directions.
A frozen shoulder may be the result of inflammation, scarring, or shrinkage of the capsule that surrounds the normal shoulder joint. Any injury can lead to the frozen shoulder including tendonitis, bursitis, and rotator cuff injury.
Patients who have been immobilized in a sling or are holding their arm in a protective posture following a distal fracture, are especially at risk. It is important that these patients are educated in keeping their shoulder mobile and avoiding prolonged protective postures.
As the colder temperatures come upon us, here are some tips for clients and their family members to keep in mind for the health and safety of their hands:
As people begin to use their snow blowers, keep in mind that although the clogged snow blower is turned off, there is enough torque stored up in the tears to rotate the blades another tow to three turns upon dis-impaction. Under no circumstances should you remove clogged snow with your hands. Use a broomstick or something equivalent. Most new snow blowers are now equipped with a fiberglass rod made for this purpose
Cold intolerance is a common problem among our clients. Remember to bundle up and don your gloves and mittens.
| February 14 | Valentine's Day |
| February 19 | President's Day |
| March 11 | Daylight Savings |
| March 17 | St. Patrick's Day |