Occupational Therapy
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Occupational therapy plays an important role in preventing injuries and in helping a patient’s recovery from upper extremity injuries and/or conditions. At Cape Cod Orthopaedics, our highly skilled team of Occupational Therapists are dedicated to providing the best care possible and getting you back to doing the things you love.
We understand that each person is unique. As a part of our comprehensive approach, each patient receives a thorough evaluation and an individual plan of care that is designed to treat the whole person. In addition to our “hands on” approach, patients receive an individualized treatment plan to meet their personal goals focusing on their prioritized occupations.
We offer occupational therapy at our Sandwich and Hyannis locations and are looking to expand to Falmouth in the future. Being located under the same roof as your physician allows us the unique opportunity to work closely as a team, ensuring everyone is on the same page. We have systems in place that allow us to easily share information.
Our team of Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapist Assistants use a variety of therapeutic exercises, manual therapy, modalities, and other interventions to assist you in your unique recovery. And when you need a little extra encouragement and motivation to keep going, we are here for that too. We are committed to personalized care that helps our patients return to activities in the shortest time possible.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy focuses on identifying everyday life activities important to you. Interventions are carefully selected to promote your ability to return to these activities at the highest functional level possible. Activities, or occupations, can be anything related to activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, health management, rest/sleep, education, work, and/or leisure and social participation.
Occupational Therapists are highly educated, licensed healthcare professionals who can improve or restore upper extremity joint mobility, improve scar texture and adhesions, increase strength, and in many cases, help patients reduce pain. These techniques can help avoid the need for surgery at times and/or long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects.
Need an appointment? Call us today at 508-568-6726 or click the link Cape Cod Orthopaedics Appointments.*
*Referral from your doctor required.
What is Occupational Therapy? Cape Cod Orthopaedics’ Occupational Therapy is unique in the integrated approach that we take to rehabilitation.
In addition to highly trained therapists, we offer state-of-the-art equipment in our open-concept gyms, as well as access to a variety of other services, including, but not limited to (click to learn more):
- Certified hand therapy
- Custom orthoses
- Scar management/Instrument assisted soft tissue work
- Paraffin treatments
- Grip strengthening
- Posture retraining
- Edema management
- Kinesiology & athletic taping
Certified hand therapy
Certified hand therapist, or CHT, is an Occupational or Physical Therapist that has undergone additional practice hours to specialize in rehabilitation for pathologies of the hand. These clinicians must have achieved a minimum of 4000 hours in over three years of hand therapy practice and pass a 200 question certification exam in order to become a CHT. CHTs must also maintain their certification through continuing education.
Custom orthoses
Custom orthoses can be beneficial for unique injuries of the upper extremity or when off-the-shelf will not achieve the outcomes your physician or therapist want. Our Occupational Therapists can custom mold an orthosis for a variety of reasons from protecting a recent fracture to helping increase range of motion. These orthoses are made with a thermoplastic material which can be re-heated and reshaped for easy modifications as you progress.
Scar management/Instrument assisted soft tissue work
Scar management is an important part of your recovery process. Scar adhesions can form during healing which can negatively impact the results of your surgery. Specialized scar tools and scar massage techniques can break up adhesions allowing for improved motion and tendon gliding. Some of these instruments include: thermoplastic tools, dycem, vibrator tools, IASTM tools, and extractors (pictured).
Paraffin treatments
Paraffin wax is a modality that is especially effective for the hand. It is a moist heat that allows for circumferential coverage of the digits/wrist that has more direct benefits than other heat types. Paraffin wax heats the tissue which can temporarily improve ROM, soften scar tissue, decrease pain, and reduce inflammation. These effects can allow your therapy to progress further during your session, which can lead to faster improvements.
Grip strengthening
Grip is essential for all aspects of life, whether you want to hold a golf club, a pencil, or open a jar. Your Occupational Therapist can measure your grip strength and then customize interventions that target gripping to help progress you to your goals. Some of the tools they use to strengthen grip may include a calibrated gripper, therapy putty, shake blade, resistance bars, and resistance clothespins.
Posture retraining
Posture is foundational to the alignment of our joints of the upper extremity. Strengthening the postural muscles, including your rotator cuff, and other muscles around your shoulder and neck can help prevent or improve shoulder impingement, nerve entrapment, and pain. Postural awareness is also an important part of this rehab. Modalities and manual therapy may be used in combination with strengthening to help you improve your posture.
Edema management
Edema in the upper extremity, specifically the hand can be problematic. If tendons cannot glide the way they need to, range of motion can become limited, pain can increase, sensation can be lessened, and joints can stiffen. Removing the excess fluid takes time and requires a skilled therapist to provide the right amount of compression, exercise, and modalities. Our Occupational Therapists will guide you through this process and provide the right combination of edema management techniques to decrease the swelling you are experiencing.
Kinesiology and athletic taping
Kinesiology and athletic taping involves the use of a dynamic or static adhesive tape in specific patterns that follow muscle or tendon tracks or to support joints. The tape can be beneficial for scar adhesions, pain, swelling, or support as the amount of stretch put on the taping pattern can have varying effects. Tape can be left on from 3-5 days and can get wet. Taping can be a part of your plan of care that may assist in improving your function.