• Find A Provider
  • Patient Portal (eCare)
  • Careers
  • Make a Gift
  • WCHConnect App
  • (330) 263-8100
  • Find a Provider
  • Patient Portal (eCare)
  • Careers
  • Make a Gift
  • (330) 263-8462
Wooster Community Hospital - Health System
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Immediate Care
    • Emergency Care
    • Telehealth (WCH Virtual Visits)
    • Walk-In Care (Mt. Hope NowClinic)
    • Walk-In Care (NowClinic)
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Gift Shop
    • For Patients
      • Advance Directive
      • Estimate Cost of Care
      • Discrimination Policy
      • Financial Assistance
      • HCAP Care Assurance Application
      • Home Medical Equipment
      • Language Services
      • Medical Records
      • Pricing/Package Prices
      • Patient Care & Privacy
      • Patient Registration
      • Spiritual Care
    • For Visitors
      • Call a Patient
      • Dining Options
      • Inpatient Units
      • Visiting Hours
    • Recognize An Employee (STARS Program)
    • Send a Card
  • Services
          • View All Services
          • Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal Program
          • Emergency Care
          • Endocrinology
          • Gastroenterology
          • Health & Wellness – HealthPoint
          • Obstetrics
          • Pharmacy
          • Cancer Care Cancer Care
          • Rehabilitation Rehabilitation
          • Women's Health Women's Health
          • Behavioral Health Behavioral Health
          • Cardiovascular Care Cardiovascular Care
          • Surgery Surgery
  • Services
    • Bloomington Orthopedic Specialists
        • Vascular Surgery
        • HealthPoint Chiropractic Services
        • Colonoscopy
        • Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal Program
        • Diagnostic Imaging
        • Endoscopy
        • ERcheckin
        • Home Helpers
        • Hospitalists
        • Intensive Care Unit - ICU
        • Inpatient Rehabilitation
        • Joint Center
        • Laboratory
        • Medical/Surgical Unit
        • Obstetrics – Women’s Pavilion
        • Pharmacy
        • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
        • Progressive Care Unit - PCU
        • Speech Therapy
        • Spine Surgery
        • Surgery
        • Vascular Lab & Blood Flow Screening
        • Women’s Health – Women’s Specialty Center
        • Outpatient Rehabilitation – HealthPoint
  • Community
    • Amish Liaison
    • Annual Reports
    • CPR Courses
    • Community Care Network
    • Giving to WCH
    • Medical Alert Device
    • Support Groups
    • Sustainability
    • Transportation Services
    • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Shop for a Gift
      • Volunteer Services
      • WCH Auxiliary
    • WCH Friends Program
  • HealthPoint
    • Health & Wellness
    • HealthPoint Store
    • Outpatient Rehabilitation
  • About Us
    • Awards
    • Blog
    • Careers
    • Job Shadowing
    • Student Observer
    • Contact Us
    • News
    • Our History
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Providers – WCH Affiliated
    • Read Reviews
    • WCHConnect App
  • FIND A PROVIDER
  • PATIENT PORTAL
  • PAY BILL
  • MAKE A GIFT
  • Home
  • Healthy Eating
  • Preventive Healthcare
  • New Providers
  • WCH Incentives
  • Videos
Wooster Community Hospital - Health System
WCH Friends Program
  • Home
  • Immediate Care
    • Emergency Care
    • Telehealth (WCH Virtual Visits)
    • Walk-In Care (Mt. Hope NowClinic)
    • Walk-In Care (NowClinic)
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Gift Shop
    • For Patients
      • Advance Directive
      • Estimate Cost of Care
      • Discrimination Policy
      • Financial Assistance
      • HCAP Care Assurance Application
      • Home Medical Equipment
      • Language Services
      • Medical Records
      • Pricing/Package Prices
      • Patient Care & Privacy
      • Patient Registration
      • Spiritual Care
    • For Visitors
      • Call a Patient
      • Dining Options
      • Inpatient Units
      • Visiting Hours
    • Recognize An Employee (STARS Program)
    • Send a Card
  • Services
  • Services
    • Bloomington Orthopedic Specialists
    • HealthPoint Chiropractic Services
    • Colonoscopy
    • Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal Program
    • Diagnostic Imaging
    • Endoscopy
    • ERcheckin
    • Home Helpers
    • Hospitalists
    • Intensive Care Unit – ICU
    • Inpatient Rehabilitation
    • Joint Center
    • Laboratory
    • Medical/Surgical Unit
    • Obstetrics – Women’s Pavilion
    • Outpatient Rehabilitation – HealthPoint
    • Pharmacy
    • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
    • Progressive Care Unit – PCU
    • Speech Therapy
    • Spine Surgery
    • Surgery
    • Vascular Lab & Blood Flow Screening
    • Vascular Surgery
    • Women’s Health – Women’s Specialty Center
  • Community
    • Amish Liaison
    • Annual Reports
    • CPR Courses
    • Community Care Network
    • Giving to WCH
    • Medical Alert Device
    • Support Groups
    • Sustainability
    • Transportation Services
    • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Shop for a Gift
      • Volunteer Services
      • WCH Auxiliary
    • WCH Friends Program
  • HealthPoint
    • Health & Wellness
    • HealthPoint Store
    • Outpatient Rehabilitation
  • About Us
    • Awards
    • Blog
    • Careers
    • Job Shadowing
    • Student Observer
    • Contact Us
    • News
    • Our History
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Providers – WCH Affiliated
    • Read Reviews
    • WCHConnect App
  • FIND A PROVIDER
  • PATIENT PORTAL
  • PAY BILL
  • MAKE A GIFT
  • Home
  • Healthy Eating
  • Preventive Healthcare
  • New Providers
  • WCH Incentives
  • Videos
WCH Friends Program
You are here: Home / Patient Education Article

Hand Therapy

Back to Patient Education
  • Introduction
  • Treatment

Introduction

Hand Therapy is a specialized area of rehabilitation.  Your doctor may refer you to an occupational therapist or physical therapist with advanced skills or a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) for hand therapy.  A CHT is an occupational or physical therapist that has completed continued education, supervised training, and testing to earn credentials beyond a therapy degree.  Hand therapists focus on rehabilitation for conditions that affect the hand and arm.
 
A hand therapist provides continuing care for individuals with hand conditions resulting from medical conditions or following hand surgery or injury.  Medical conditions, such as arthritis; neurological conditions, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury; and disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome; can affect the way hands move and function.  Hand therapy can be helpful for people with trauma, burns, and amputations.  Additionally, hand therapy is common following hand surgery to restore tendons, nerves, and joint function.  A hand therapist may be consulted for preventive consultation, especially in the manufacturing industries.
Back to top

Treatment

Your hand therapist will work with your doctor to determine treatments that are appropriate for you and that are designed to meet your goals.  Hand therapy can reduce pain and swelling.  It can help to restore strength, endurance, coordination, and movement.  It can also promote healing and reduce scar formation.  You should tell your hand therapist about your symptoms, concerns, and goals.  Your therapist will create a treatment plan that incorporates your goals for functional improvement.

At your initial evaluation, your therapist will examine your hand and take measurements.  Your hand and finger strength, coordination, and sensation will be tested.  The therapist will measure how far you can move your joints.  He or she will look at your hand for any sores, deformities, or swelling. 

Hand therapy treatments vary and depend on the type of condition you have, the extent of your condition, and your goals.  It is common for therapy to include hand exercises, splinting, and modalities.  You may need to wear hand splints while your hand is at rest, during work, or both.  Hand splints can help your hand heal, reduce pain, and improve function.  Modalities are treatments that can help relieve pain and promote movement.  These include heat, ice, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and others.  Additionally, hand therapy can include wound healing treatments and burn debridement.  Your therapists can suggest adaptive devices, such as eating or writing utensils, to improve your functional independence.

In industrial settings, hand therapists perform workplace evaluations for injury prevention.  Hand therapists can recommend alternative work methods or work station changes to prevent injuries and cumulative trauma disorders.  They can also help an individual with a hand injury return to work by making workplace modifications.

Back to top

Copyright ©  - iHealthSpot Interactive - www.iHealthSpot.com

This information is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be used in place of an individual consultation or examination or replace the advice of your health care professional and should not be relied upon to determine diagnosis or course of treatment.

The iHealthSpot patient education library was written collaboratively by the iHealthSpot editorial team which includes Senior Medical Authors Dr. Mary Car-Blanchard, OTD/OTR/L and Valerie K. Clark, and the following editorial advisors: Steve Meadows, MD, Ernie F. Soto, DDS, Ronald J. Glatzer, MD, Jonathan Rosenberg, MD, Christopher M. Nolte, MD, David Applebaum, MD, Jonathan M. Tarrash, MD, and Paula Soto, RN/BSN. This content complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. The library commenced development on September 1, 2005 with the latest update/addition on February 16, 2022. For information on iHealthSpot’s other services including medical website design, visit www.iHealthSpot.com.

Footer

Patient Education

Learn about common medical conditions and treatments in our interactive patient education center.

Read More

Tell us what you think!

Tell us what you think!

We’d love to hear from you! Send us your feedback and read about the experiences others have had at Wooster Community Hospital.

Leave a Review Read Reviews
  • Patients & Visitors
  • Services
  • About Us
  • Community
  • Careers
  • Telehealth
  • Locations
  • Contact Us

1761 Beall Avenue, Wooster, Ohio 44691 | Phone: (330) 263-8100

Copyright © Wooster Community Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

  • Employees/Physicians
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Discrimination Policy
iHealthspot Medical Website Design and Medical Marketing by iHealthSpot.com

Wooster Community Hospital (WCH) Health System offers a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services serving the residents of Wayne County, Ohio. Our health care services include urgent care, cardiac rehabilitation, diagnostic imaging, wound healing, behavioral health services, weight loss management, emergency care, cardiovascular services, outpatient rehabilitation services, inpatient withdrawal treatments, comprehensive cancer care, women's health care, diabetic services, robotic-assisted surgery, anesthesiology, chiropractic services, colonoscopy, endocrinology, endoscopy, internal medicine, pulmonary health services, pharmacy services, orthopedics, speech therapy, sleep medicine, and oncology and infusion services.

You have a lot to gain from being proactive about your health. Wooster Community Hospital’s VIP patient loyalty program now offers even more rewards and incentives!

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Preventive Healthcare
  • New Providers
  • WCH Incentives
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
iHealthspot Medical Website Design and Medical Marketing by iHealthSpot.com
Copyright © WCH Friends Program. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Immediate Care
    • Emergency Care
    • Telehealth (WCH Virtual Visits)
    • Walk-In Care (Mt. Hope NowClinic)
    • Walk-In Care (NowClinic)
    • Back
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Gift Shop
    • For Patients
      • Advance Directive
      • Estimate Cost of Care
      • Discrimination Policy
      • Financial Assistance
      • HCAP Care Assurance Application
      • Home Medical Equipment
      • Language Services
      • Medical Records
      • Pricing/Package Prices
      • Patient Care & Privacy
      • Patient Registration
      • Spiritual Care
      • Back
    • For Visitors
      • Call a Patient
      • Dining Options
      • Inpatient Units
      • Visiting Hours
      • Back
    • Recognize An Employee (STARS Program)
    • Send a Card
    • Back
  • Services
  • Services
    • Bloomington Orthopedic Specialists
    • HealthPoint Chiropractic Services
    • Colonoscopy
    • Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal Program
    • Diagnostic Imaging
    • Endoscopy
    • ERcheckin
    • Home Helpers
    • Hospitalists
    • Intensive Care Unit – ICU
    • Inpatient Rehabilitation
    • Joint Center
    • Laboratory
    • Medical/Surgical Unit
    • Obstetrics – Women’s Pavilion
    • Outpatient Rehabilitation – HealthPoint
    • Pharmacy
    • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
    • Progressive Care Unit – PCU
    • Speech Therapy
    • Spine Surgery
    • Surgery
    • Vascular Lab & Blood Flow Screening
    • Vascular Surgery
    • Women’s Health – Women’s Specialty Center
    • Back
  • Community
    • Amish Liaison
    • Annual Reports
    • CPR Courses
    • Community Care Network
    • Giving to WCH
    • Medical Alert Device
    • Support Groups
    • Sustainability
    • Transportation Services
    • Volunteer Opportunities
      • Shop for a Gift
      • Volunteer Services
      • WCH Auxiliary
      • Back
    • WCH Friends Program
    • Back
  • HealthPoint
    • Health & Wellness
    • HealthPoint Store
    • Outpatient Rehabilitation
    • Back
  • About Us
    • Awards
    • Blog
    • Careers
    • Job Shadowing
    • Student Observer
    • Contact Us
    • News
    • Our History
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Providers – WCH Affiliated
    • Read Reviews
    • WCHConnect App
    • Back
  • FIND A PROVIDER
  • PATIENT PORTAL
  • PAY BILL
  • MAKE A GIFT
  • Home
  • Healthy Eating
  • Preventive Healthcare
  • New Providers
  • WCH Incentives
  • Videos