Specialists On Hand

The therapy team at Specialists on Hand recently treated themselves to a relaxed day of learning and updating our skills… even the kangaroos were chillin 😎

And thats a wrap to Hand Therapy Week 2023! Thanks for helping us raise awareness to this years topic, Workplace Injuries.

Here are some final tips for those office and clerical workers out there, things to consider at your work station👇 👇👇

Hand and wrist injuries are the most common work-related injury!

Some great tips to keep your hands safe in the workplace!
Check it out below 👇

Hand Therapy Week 2023
Work equipment for ergonomics, adaptive equipment and personal protective equipment are important to keep your hands safe in the workplace.

GLOVES are one of the first things many think of when it comes to protecting your hand at work.
But there are other forms of tools that can help to protect your hands at work including:
- Spring open-hand tools like sheers for gardeners and in agriculture, scissors in manufacturing, and pliers in trades to save on hand fatigue
- Selecting the handle size of the tool appropriate to the hand of the user – did you know that screwdriver handles can be wider or smaller?
- Computer keyboards styles or a different style of a computer mouse can help place your wrist at a safe angle for use

See your local hand therapist for treatment and advice.

Disclaimer: the information provided is general in nature and always speak to your Work Health and Safety Officer or an industry specialist for information that is relevant to your specific workplace.

2023

INJURY SPOTLIGHT 🔦

Overuse and degenerative injury to the hand and wrist. Do you experience painful joints? Inflammation? Difficulty completing those everyday activities? Reduce strength?

See the experts, a hand therapist can help!

Safe Work Australia identified 45,993 Australian's experienced a serious upper limb work related injury in 2020-21. Check out the statistics below 👇

The 4 most common types of injury were:
👉 Traumatic joint/ligament and muscle/tendon injury
👉 Musculoskeletal injuries
👉 Wounds, laceration and amputations
👉 Fractures

The most common mechanism of injury/incident was linked to 'body stressing' and second most common was due to falls, slips and trips in the workplace.

The 3 most common occupations to sustain a serious injury included labourers, community and personal service workers, and machinery operators and drivers.

The team at Specialists On Hand commonly assess, diagnose and treat the condition listed below and are here to help if you're in need of an expert 👍

HAND THERAPY WEEK 2023 👋

This year we are celebrating our profession with the AHTA to raise awareness for workplace injuries effecting the hand and upper limb. Finger and hand injuries are the most common type of work-related injury in Australia.

Workplace upper limb injuries can be caused by poor hand ergonomics, mechanical hazards, environmental hazards, or skin irritants.

If you experience an upper limb, wrist or hand injury on the job, consult with an expert. The team at Specialists on Hand are experienced in assessing and treating upper limb injuries.

Referral preferred and please note we require your workers compensation details including claim number and insurance details.

Call 9389 8829 or visit our website to book an appointment one of our experts! 👋

We often get lots of 'what' and 'where' questions from patients post surgical fixation. This is a great model to showcase exactly the different types of fixations completed by orthopaedic surgeons, using plates and screws to fix fractures.

Thanks AHTA 👏

These are great models that show the different types of plates and fixations that can be used in hand therapy to fix fractures.
The transparency of the model allows you to see the screws and hold the fixation has on the fracture segment.

These are great models to show to patients to help show them a 3D image of the type of surgery they had and what their plate looks like.

THE HOLIDAY SEASON 🎄

The team at Specialists on Hand will be taking some time off over Christmas and the New Year to celebrate with our loved ones ❤️

Please note the ALL clinics will be closed from Friday 23rd December midday. We will be reopening in the New Year, see the dates below.

Wishing everyone a wonderful and safe holiday period!

SPLINTS, SPLINTS, SPLINTS!

This orthosis was made my our Senior Therapist Rose, for a lovely lady who had undergone surgery to the volar plate ligament of her thumb MCP joint. Her thumb was hyperextended, resulting in soft tissue damage with surgical repair required.

At around 4 months post surgery, this lady was experiencing reduced extension of her thumb MCP. Our job in hand therapy was to gently stretch the fragile tissues and guide new scar tissues to form in a lengthened arrangement. The elastic component of this orthosis provides a gentle but consistent amount of stretch on the thumb joint. The plastic has been moulded to comfortably fit her hand. This splint needs to be worn daily for at least 6 hours to allow the new skin and soft tissues to grow as the joint is gently stretched.

Happy to sponsor this wonderful organisation 😍 Have fun and drive safe ladies!

Did you know all our hand therapists are qualified Occupational Therapists fully equipped to help people to manage arthritis in many different ways...

How can we help:
🔹 Non-pharmacological pain relief techniques
🔹 Splinting and provision of soft neoprene supports
🔹 Targeted exercise programs
🔹 Education on joint protection principles, anti-deformity positioning, activity modification and assistive equipment

Book in today via our website or call 9389 8829👋

CONGRATULATIONS to Carmel Bain 👏

Our very own Carmel was awarded the Leanne Breen Memorial Award at the 2022 AHTA National Conference. This award was close to home for Carmel and fellow SOH therapists, as Leanne was the founder of Specialists on Hand.

Carmel has devoted the past few years to developing Rehab Minder Hand Therapy App and TrackActive Exercise Software, and more recently involved in research projects with Curtin University.

Well done to Carmel and her team. We absolutely love TrackActive to assist with prescribing customised exercise programs for our clients.

Are you heading into the weekend jam packed with sports?

Whether it is a twisted finger, sore thumb or a swollen and painful knuckle the team at Specialists on Hand are here for you! No referral needed, book in anytime online at https://specialistsonhand.com.au/bookings/

Check out below, a variety of different orthoses we can custom make to treat an injured finger. 👌

2022 Hand Therapy Week theme is Sports Injuries 🏀🏏⚽️🏉🏐

Have you ever had a ball hit the end of your finger and force it to bend too far backwards causing pain to your middle joint. This may have resulted in a Volar Plate Injury.

The volar plate is a dense fibrous band that sits underneath the middle joint of your finger. It's job it to stabilise the middle joint and prevent your finger from over extending. So, when a forceful action causes your finger to hyperextend the ligament can become over stretched and damaged or in some cases tear off the bone.

HAND THERAPY:
▪️ Splinting - A dorsal blocking splint is fabricated to stop your volar plate being stretched while it heals. This means your finger is initially splinted in 30° of flexion at the middle joint and each week is slowly straightened back to 0°.
▪️ Exercise - Regular exercises are important to prevent stiffness. Gentle passive and active flexion of the middle and end joints is recommended 4-5 times per day. Important to wear your splint as a guide to only straighten your finger to the splint!
▪️ Oedema management.
▪️ Taping - Buddy finger sleeves or taping may be required on return to sport for stability and support.

Hand Therapy Awareness Week!! 👐

Join us this week in celebrating all things HAND THERAPY!! The therapists at Specialists on Hand are all certified Occupational Therapists who have specialised in Hand and Upper Limb Therapy!

WHAT IS HAND THERAPY?! Check out below👇 and see how we can help 👍

Stay tuned this week for a sneak peak into what we do 🙌

Never forgotten. Always remembered, lest we forget.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Easter long weekend!

We will be open as usual from Tuesday 19th April https://specialistsonhand.com.au/bookings/

Haven't heard from us in a while... We're back just in time for WINTER SPORTS ⚽️🏐🏉🏑
What to know about common sports hand injuries! The team at Specialists On Hand are here to help at our clinics across Perth. Call us on 9389 8829 or book online via the website!