Hand therapy
Helping treat hand, finger, wrist and upper limb injuries
Emma Bamford & Sarah Harlington, our hand therapists, can help you return to a productive lifestyle following injury, disease or deformity affecting your hand.
The hand is one of the most complex parts of your body. The movement of the tendons, bones, tissues and nerves allows someone to grip and do a wide variety of complex jobs.
Following a hand injury, the hand may not function as it did before the injury due to loss of motion, dexterity, grip and ability to complete the simplest of tasks. In turn this regularly results in loss of earnings. These patients require treatment in order to return them to work, social and sporting activities.
Hand therapy can help with
thumb pain
finger injuries
wrist pain
tingling fingers
weak wrists
What is hand therapy?
By seeing a Hand Therapist you will receive specialist care to enable the optimal management of your injury and therefore an improved outcome.
Many people think that all finger injuries are managed by strapping fingers together or that there are simply no options for arthritic hands or ‘weak wrists’. This is a myth and often a hand therapist can provide you with that treatment and/or management strategy and/or splint to enable you to continue your hobbies, get back to what you enjoy and reduce or manage your pain and symptoms.
At the very least a hand therapist might be able to assess to establish the root of your problem and instigate a referral to further physicians to get the treatment your require.
Do you experience
- thumb pain
- finger injuries
- wrist pain
- tingling fingers
- weak wristss
- sore hands
IF THE ANSWER IS YES, THEN HAND THERAPY CAN HELP YOU!
FAQs
Where are the clinics held?
Emma is based at our Kedleston Road clinic in Derby and Sarah is located at our Long Eaton base.
Clinic times
On Tuesday evenings, clinics are at Kedleston Road.
Friday afternoons, appointments are available at Long Eaton.
Call us to book your session / discuss your availability 0115 972 1319.
Before your first appointment
We will discuss your treatment needs by phone/email prior to let you know what might be involved, and possible costs.
Fees
Initial Assessment
The first appointment allows time for a complete treatment plan to be formulated and a splint to be made if necessary. (plus cost for materials) If we only need 30 minutes – you will only be charged £45.
Follow up treatments
Other charges (e.g. splints)
Splints are not required by everyone, if you do require a splint for your treatment, typical costs for custom made;
finger £7
thumb / hand £15
forearm £25
If something more cost effective can be bought off the shelf this is our preference. Options will be discussed with you prior to agreement.
Emma Bamford (MSc MCSP AHT)
Emma can help evaluate and identify problems affecting the upper limbs as well as provide advice regarding exercise, preventative care, splintage, advice on aids to daily living and ergonomic consultation.
Emma qualified in 2008 at The University of Brighton and then worked in various locations in midlands gaining experience in different areas of physiotherapy including orthopaedics, general elderly medicine and neuromusculoskeletal out-patients.
She became interested in the treatment of hand conditions whilst working at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and then went on to specialise in Hand Therapy in 2008 when she took up a hand therapy position at the Pulvertaft Hand Centre in Derby.
Emma has gained a wealth of experience treating patients in all aspects of hand therapy and can provide immediate exercise and splintage for patients following acute traumatic injuries or after having elective surgery.
Emma is able to offer appointments to clients who require hand therapy outside of Monday to Friday nine till five working hours.
She can also provide advice and treatment for people experiencing more long term conditions such as arthritis, carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome, wrist pain and de-quervains.
A hand therapist can help you to continue your hobbies and get back to what you enjoy
- Assessment (Hand, Wrist and elbow)
- Splinting – Issue prefabricated, Remould splints, Fabricate splints
- Exercise program
- Strengthening program
- Mobilisations
- Scar management
- Sensory re-education
- Desensitisation program
- Management of swelling in the hand
- Pain management
- Post operative care
- Ultrasound
- Measurement and recommendation for Pressure garments
- Basal thumb/ wrist/ Finger arthritis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Cubital tunnel syndrome
- Trigger finger
- Dequervains.
- Chronic pain
- Tennis/golfers elbow
- CRPS
- Fractures
- Tendon repairs
- Nerve injuries
- Ligament repairs
- Soft tissue lacerations.
- Sprains/ Strains
- Dislocations
The simple answer is yes – however knowledge regarding any diagnostic tests and/or surgical procedures and post operative plan is useful.
We can provide hand therapy following any kind of elective hand surgery. This may include but is not exclusive to the following.
- Dupuytrens Release/ Needle apponeurotomies/ Xiapex injections
- Carpal or cubital tunnel syndrome
- Tendon transfers
- Joint replacements
- Soft tissue release eg. Dequervains, trigger release.
- Wrist surgery – eg. TFCC repairs, ECU stabilisations, Osteotomies
- Joint releases
- Tenolysis
- Exercise prescription
- Fabrication of splints
- Provision of off the shelf splints
- Scar management
- Swelling management
- Kinesiology/ dynamic tape
- Strengthening/ upper limb conditioning
- Mobilisations.
Reviews for Hand Therapy
Hi Emma, Just to let you know that your diagnosis was spot on! I had surgery on Sunday for a ruptured UCL and small fracture – apparently a small flake of bone had come loose with the ligament. Thank you again for your advice – I’m glad I came to see you as if I’d left it as my GP suggested, it would have been more difficult to fix. Kind regards and thanks again, Maggie
