Occupational Therapy helps injured, ill or disabled patients recover, improve and/or maintain the skills needed for daily living and working. When pain, range of motion, strength, coordination, etc. fail to resolve as expected after an injury, surgery or disease, Occupational Therapy may be recommended by your physician as part of a comprehensive treatment plan to regain optimal function.
Our CommonSpirit Occupational Therapists (OTs) have earned a degree from an accredited institution (now a Master’s or Doctorate degree), passed the NBCOT Examination for Licensure and hold a current state license. Conditions they treat include:
- Sports injuries
- Traumatic injuries
- Over-use and work-related injuries, especially to upper extremity
- Acute and chronic pain
- Neurological diseases/disorders, including stroke
- Head injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Training with prosthetics after amputations
- Conditions requiring orthotic devices, e.g. splinting, to increase functional ability and/or prevent deformity of the upper extremities.
OTs have many tools at their disposal, including manual therapy (hands-on treatment of joints and soft tissue); exercise prescription; modalities to address pain and inflammation, e.g. ultrasound, electrical stimulation and iontophoresis; and fabrication of orthoses, e.g. hand, wrist and finger splinting.
Just like Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy may be instrumental in addressing balance and reducing fall risk, with an emphasis on balance related to activities of daily living, e.g. bathing/showering, dressing, cleaning and cooking, recreational activities and work-related activities.
Ergonomic assessments, often referred to as workstation assessments, are utilized to reduce risk of injury. OTs evaluate the physical set-up of the work space, the requirements of the particular job and any current pain or dysfunction to then make recommendations re: any changes or improvements related to furniture/equipment and task management.
A painful or injured hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder can involve many of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, joints and bones of a person’s upper extremity. Our hand therapy services, including custom splinting, can effectively provide treatment for the following:
- Arthritis,
- Traumatic injuries
- Sports injuries
- Fractures/dislocations
- Tennis/golf elbow and other types of tendonitis
- Carpal tunnel
- Cubital tunnel
- Other entrapment disorders
- Repetitive motion syndromes
- Tendon/nerve injuries
- Dupuytren’s contracture and complex regional pain syndromes
The LSVT (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment) program (developed and scientifically researched for more than 20 years) is for people with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. Our Occupational Therapists may implement the LSVT BIG exercise program to improve major motor skills such as balance, walking, arm and leg movements and hand skills with the following benefits: increase in ability to perform daily activities, faster walking with bigger steps and improvement in balance. Treatment includes:
- 16 sessions (4 days/week x 4 weeks)
- Daily homework practice
- Daily carryover exercises
Occupational Therapists work with patients with neurological disorders to achieve their highest level of function and independence with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as dressing, by treating the following symptoms and conditions:
- Mobility and balance issues
- Coordination issues
- Weakness
- Cognitive impairment
