Tanya Coats Occupational Therapy
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What is wide awake surgery? Wide awake surgery is a surgery performed with the patient completely awake using only local anesthesia. Normally, surgery is performed using general anesthesia in which the patient is asleep. General anesthesia is not necessary for many surgeries and can be risky in some cases. Wide awake surgery is a technique that …
After an injury or surgery, our bodies naturally make scar. Scar tissue can become a problem if it limits function and/or is unpleasant to look at. Scar tissue can be treated. A physical or occupational therapist who specializes in treating upper extremity injuries can help. There are several factors a therapist assesses to determine the …
Scar Management – Advice from a Certified Hand Therapist Read More »
IT’S LONG BEEN SAID that in addition to a large brain, another critical characteristic that separates us from most other animals is our opposable thumbs. The thumb joint has a wide range of motion that makes pinching and grasping motions possible, and most other animals, save for fellow primates, lack this ability. Thumb joints have been …
Is Thumb Joint Replacement Surgery Right for You? Read More »
Hand surgeon David Friedman, MD, FACS, answers your questions about preparing for an upcoming hand surgery. This blog post was written by hand surgeon David Friedman, MD, FACS, with assistance from Craig Forleiter, MD and Ketty Diaz, ARNP. Article Reference: ASSH | Handcare 1. Will I need medical clearance before surgery? What other tests might …
Does smoking really make that big of a difference?? About 25% of our adult population smokes cigarettes. We understand that quitting smoking can be extremely difficult. But what if you have had an injury and/or surgery? Will it really make a difference if you smoke? Yes. This is not what the smokers out there want …
Have you ever wondered how broken bones heal? Broken bones, also called fractures, can heal two different ways. The two types of bone healing are primary and secondary bone healing. Secondary bone healing is more common than primary bone healing. Secondary bone healing occurs when there is slight, controlled motion between the two ends of …
What is Mallet Finger? Mallet finger is an injury to the tip of the finger that is obvious by the inability to straighten the tip your finger. The tendon that extends the finger is damaged and there may be a bit of bone fractured as well. This is very common in sports when a ball …
Distal radius fractures are a common injury, caused mainly by falling onto the hand. The most common type of distal radius fracture is a ‘colle’s’ fracture, where the fracture fragment can displace dorsally. Scenario: Max was snowboarding when he fell onto an outstretched hand and sustained an undisplaced distal radius fracture. A simple undisplaced fracture …
Treating a Distal Radius Fracture With Hand Therapy Read More »
We all know the health benefits of regular exercise. Many fitness workouts involve putting pressure on your wrists. You may have noticed some discomfort while lifting weights or during yoga poses that require you to put weight on your hands. Here are some tips to make sure you are not straining your wrists while staying …
Many of us start our holiday preparations by “making a list and checking it twice!” Suddenly, we are overwhelmed by its length. The fact that baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping and travel all come before December 25 can be dismaying. If this describes your current quandary, please continue to read about how you can have a …