Upper Limb Injuries

OT Experts has extensive experience in relation to assessing, and treating, clients with a wide range of finger and hand injuries. This includes clients with wrist fractures or long term hand and upper limb injuries such as amputated digits or fingertip loss.

OT Experts assesses clients with hand and upper limb injuries in terms of the effect of their injury on their daily lives and their abilities to undertake activities of daily living. Specialist aids and adaptations may be required to maximise an individual's safety and independence. It may be that a client finds eating and drinking or preparing a meal difficult following a hand injury.

OT Experts recommends, and sources, the aids that would meet the client's needs and enable them to return to safe and independent eating, drinking and meal preparation.

OT Experts provides desensitisation treatment and has treated numerous clients with hand injuries with extremely positive results.

Desensitisation treatment is a graded programme of gradual stimulation to the affected area to increase its tolerance for tactile input. Stimulation includes massaging or brushing the skin with a variety of different textures which are just beyond the level of comfort when applied to the affected area. The tactile input should then lead to active use of the injured area.

Through an intensive four-six week desensitisation treatment programme OT Experts has seen excellent outcomes for clients, including an increase in active use of the injured hand, or finger, and an increase in tolerance to exposure of different textures and materials. Desensitisation is also often a way of increasing a client's awareness that they have been avoiding use of their hand and will increase their conscious use of their injured hand or finger.