Tanya Coats Occupational Therapy
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Regaining movement after an injury or immobilisation Assisting patients to overcome upper limb stiffness following injury and immobilisation constitutes a large part of a hand therapist‘s day. In theory, stretching stiff structures is simple, right? Take something that isn’t moving, and make it move again! However, the uninitiated soon learn that stretching is a subtle and patient …
The do’s and don’ts of stretching after an injury Read More »
The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) estimates 3,468,996 upper extremity injuries are seen in the emergency room per year. According to the CDC, approximately 2.7 million annual ER visits occurred in patients 5-24 years old after sustaining a sports injury. The majority of hand traumas are work-related, but upper extremity injuries can occur anywhere: …
A common cause of flexor tendon ruptures is usually sports related injuries. This can happen through innocuous incidents such as when a footy player’s finger gets caught in a jumper while trying to tackle an opponent (commonly referred to as a Jersey Injury). Open lacerations can make the tendon incision a little more obvious however, …
With Netball and Football season back into full swing, we see an increase in sport-related finger injuries. But do you know what to do if it happens to you, a teammate or your child? A finger dislocation occurs when an external force, often a ball or opposition player, forces the finger to go beyond its …
How to manage a finger dislocation during your game Read More »
As Hand Therapists we see that within this non-contact sport it’s common for professional and amateur cricketers to injure their hands. The most common hand injuries in cricket are finger dislocation, fractured bones or sprained wrist. Because hand injuries can impact your field time here are some handy tips for you and ways that we can help. Top …
Netball is one of the most popular women’s participation sports in South Africa. Finger and thumb injuries are amongst the most common problems experienced by netball players. Quite often I hear netballers say, ‘I just jarred my finger, it will be alright’. However, as a hand therapist, I know that this isn’t always the case. A jarred …
Hand surgeon Amar A. Patel, MD answers your questions about heat treatment and cold treatment and which one to use for your injury. Heat packs or cold packs? This is a question that doctors and therapists often get from patients. Both heat treatments and cold treatments are inexpensive and extremely effective modalities that can help speed up …
Heat and Cold Treatment: When to Heat or Ice an Injury Read More »
Article Reference : ASSH|Handcare Hand surgeon John M. Erickson, MD talks about common hand injuries around the house and how to prevent them. “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure” — Hippocratic Oath The Hippocratic Oath is the pledge toward which all doctors aspire. Doctors try to cure …
What are fingertips made of? Fingertips have several parts, all with special purposes. At the core is the bone, called the distal phalanx, which provides support and shape to the end of the finger. On the top and bottom of the bone are tendons that attach to the bone and make it move. On the …
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 …