Category Archives: Hand Therapy

Treatment of Hand Joint Pain:

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Volar Barton (Palmar rim dislocation) is a palmar rim fracture of distal radius. The most common cause of this type of fracture is a drop on an outstretched hand.

Mechanism

It is due to palmar tensile stress and dorsal shear stress and is usually combined with Radial styloid fracture.

Clinical Features

  • Pain

  • Swelling

  • Tenderness

  • Loss of wrist movements

  • Palmar flexion is grossly restricted and painful

Radiograph

Palmar rim of distal radial articular surface is displaced dorsally. Proximally and posteriorly and may be associated with dorsal subluxation of the wrist.

Treatment

Conservative

Reduction is simple, but retention is difficult. Long arm cast is used.

Surgery

If reduction does not remain satisfactorily with the wrist in neutral or slight palmar flexion, fixation with K-wire, external fixators and buttress plate, etc. may be done. Ellis T-’shaped buttress plate fixation is the preferred method of treatment.

Active Physical Therapy provides state of the art physical therapy throughout the state of Maryland.  Active’s friendly staff looks forward to assisting you in making your appointment in any of our clinics. Contact Us

http://www.active-physicaltherapy.com

 

Physical Therapy Treatment for the Patients’ with Hand Arthritis

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Your hands help you in cooking, cleaning, brushing, typing and in every type of daily routine activities that you perform. But you do not notice the importance of hands unless some impairment or deformity makes it difficult for you to use your hands. Hand Arthritis is one such pathology that attacks or affects your hands or finger joints.

 

How can Physical Therapy help the patients with Hand Arthritis?

Appropriate exercises suggested by the efficient Physical Therapists can relieve you from the pain, stiffness or inflammation of joints caused due to arthritis, moreover, these exercises also help you to get back into motion as well. Depending upon your condition and findings of your evaluations; a specific and customized treatment plan is developed. These exercises and modalities help to enhance the range of motion of the joints and as well lengthen the tendons or muscles through stretching. Following exercises are suggested by the physical therapists to relieve your inflamed or painful joints:

  • Therapists may suggest specific range of motion exercises which will help you to relieve stiffness and also help to improvise and maintain joint mobility and flexibility.
  • Strengthening exercises aimed at enhancing the muscle strength and alleviating weakness may be suggested.
  • Isometric exercises may be suggested to tighten and strengthen the muscles without moving joints and are most helpful with painful joints
  • Isotonic exercises, where muscles are strengthened by moving weight, may be suggested
  • Wrist extension and flexion, wrist pronation, wrist ulnar/radial deviation, thumb flexion or extension and hand or finger tendon glide are some of the range of motion techniques; that may be recommended to make your hands’ and fingers’ joints move without pain
  • Thermal modalities like; applying heating or ice packs may be suggested to relieve pain
  • Therapist may suggest and educate you to make use of certain assistive devices that would help you to perform your routine tasks at home and work easily and without feeling any pain
  • Therapists may also educate you regarding postural and activity modifications in order to relieve discomfort and to improvise your performance as well
  • Therapists may provide you guidance to use techniques which minimize the joint strain
  • Therapists may suggest exercises that strengthen the muscles around the joints and as well build greater endurance

Contact Active Physical Therapy for the state-of-art treatment of any of your musculoskeletal disease. Our treatment modules are planned and coordinated according to the needs, requirements and urgencies of our patients. The treatment modules co-ordinated by us will not only cure your current ailment but also pose a check on the further ones.

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

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Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is the second most common nerve compression, caused by increased pressure on the ulnar nerve at the elbow. The people, who repeatedly lean on their elbows or bend their elbows for sustained periods, are more likely to get affected by this condition. This condition is more common in men than women.

What do you mean by Cubital Tunnel Syndrome?

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome affects ulnar nerve where it crosses the inside edge of the elbow. This inside edge is relatively unprotected area and ulnar nerve here is entrapped between bone and skin in the tunnel called ‘Cubital Tunnel’.  When the ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel gets compressed or irritated due to an injury or pressure, it called cubital tunnel syndrome. This condition affects the Baseball Pitchers more, as the twisting motion used to throw a slider can easily damage ligaments in their elbow.

What are the common causes of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome?

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome can occur due to following possible reasons:

  • Sustained bending of elbow during sleep
  • Leaning over your elbow for longer time
  • Fluid build-up in the elbow
  • A direct blow to inside edge of the elbow
  • Previous fracture, injury or dislocation of the elbow
  • Arthritis of elbow or bone spurs
  • Any cyst near the elbow
  • Repetitive bending, twisting or flexion of elbow during painting, playing an instrument or using power tools
  • Obesity or other health conditions like hypothyroidism or diabetes

What are the potential signs and symptoms of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome?

Typical symptoms of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome may include:

  • Numbness and tingling sensation or intermittent pain in the elbow
  • Pain in the elbow extending to your forearm and hand
  • Weakness in hand and fingers
  • Being unable to straighten your ring and little finger
  • Tenderness in the inside edge of the elbow
  • Difficulty in gripping and holding the objects
  • Reduced ability to pinch the thumb and little finger
  • Claw-like deformity of the hand

How can physical therapy help to treat Cubital Tunnel Syndrome?

Physical therapy treatment for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome includes patient education along with identification, modification and limiting the causes resulting into nerve inflammation. Apart from this, physical therapists may suggest:

  • Ergonomic considerations and changes in patterns of activities causing the condition
  • Specific elbow padding may be provided for work and leisure activities as well
  • Splinting at night may be suggested to limit range of motion enhancing the compression
  • Ulnar gliding exercises and modalities are practiced to relieve the painful symptoms
  • Modification of job activities, if needed, may be suggested
  • Therapists will suggest you different ways to rest your elbow and also educate you about the ways to use your elbow without putting any extra strain in it.
  • Heat or cold treatments may be applied to ease the pain
  • Strengthen and stretching exercises are used to strengthen the muscles of the forearm
  • Range-of-motion exercises are used to help you to return full length of muscles that are shortened due to protective posturing

Contact Active Physical Therapy for the state-of-art treatment of any of your musculoskeletal problems. Our certified ad dedicated physical therapists design individualized treatment plans depending upon your condition and problem.