Hand Therapy

The Hand Therapy service is based at Macclesfield District General Hospital within the Orthopaedic out patient department. We treat patients of all ages who are under the care of one of the Orthopaedic Consultants at Macclesfield Hospital

The Hand therapy team has a crucial role in the recovery from injury of the hand or wrist, and in the recovery from hand surgical operations.
The Hand therapy team at Macclesfield is integrated into the upper limb and hand surgery team.

What is a Hand Therapist:
Hand therapists bring together techniques of occupational therapy (scar management, retraining, splinting, advice on activities of daily living) and physiotherapy (joint mobilisations, stretching, active and resisted exercises) and nursing (wound care and removal of sutures).
The hand therapists also assist with emotional and psychological support and pain management techniques, as well as with restoration of hand function.

The key principles of hand therapy practice are:

• Early intervention
• Regular and timely, sometimes highly intensive interventions
• Holistic, patient-oriented approach
• Interdisciplinary teamwork
• Effective rehabilitation management

The Hand Therapist often starts to work with the patient within days of the injury or surgery, often supporting the patient throughout their long-term functional recovery

Referrals are accepted from the all Orthopaedic Surgeons and the A&E team (specific injuries only) based at Macclesfield Hospital.

The Hand therapy team offer a wide range treatments to patients who have undergone hand surgery or are experiencing a hand injury or fractures.

Common conditions treated:

• Dupuytrens surgeries
• Trapeziectomies
• Finger fractures
• Tendon injuries and repairs both flexor and extensor tendons
• Complex Regoinal Pain syndrome both in the hand and wrist ( commonly following distal radius fractures)
• Finger dislocations

Hand Therapists use specialist therapeutic skills and have the ability to treat patients utilising a variety of techniques and tools including:

• Activity
• Adaptive/assistive devices
• Training in activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Behaviour management
• Compressive therapy
• Desensitisation
• Ergonomic modification
• Exercise
• Manual therapy
• Oedema control
• Patient and family education
• Scar management
• Sensory re-education
• Splinting/orthotics
• Standardised and non-standardised assessment tools
• Strengthening
• Vocational assessment
• Work hardening/retraining
• Wound care/dressings