Hilary Cromer, one of our Physiotherapists at our Kingston Practice, has been specialising in treating hands and wrists since the 1980s. Hilary believes they are a central part of the body, is passionate about the way they impact our quality of life, and how she can help patients regaining full function of hands and wrists.
At Leap Health Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centres, we see a range of hand and wrist injuries. The most common injuries we deal with, and the areas that Hilary has identified include, but are not limited to; sports and work injuries, arthritic wear and tear and, elective surgery. We have detailed these further below.
Sports and Work Injuries
A sports or work injury can range from a minor to major injury in the hand and wrist. The common injuries usually include; a fracture or soft tissue injury to the wrist or finger joint.
One sports injury we see quite frequently is ‘mallet finger’, mallet finger is an injury to the thin tendon that straightens the end joint of a finger or thumb. An injury may occur when an unyielding object, like a ball, strikes the tip of a finger or thumb and forces it to bend further than it is able to naturally go.
Arthritic Wear and Tear
Being a central part of the body, the hand and wrists are repetitively used in everyday life, which often leads to an overuse in the joints and tendons. One of the most chronic condition of the joints of the hand and wrist is Osteoarthritis (often referred to as Arthritic wear and tear).
Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, but mostly occurs in the small joints of the fingers and the bases of the thumb.
Common risk factors include, increasing age, obesity, previous joint injury, overuse of the joint, and genetics.
Elective Surgery
Most activities could not be performed without the thumbs remarkable range of dexterity, this is why thumb joint replacement is a common surgery procedure, and it is important to ensure the correct rehabilitation of this particular joint is carried out.
Thumb joint replacement is an option when there is painful degeneration, joint stiffness, dislocation or damage to vessels around the thumb.
Dupuytren’s is another common condition affecting the hand and is often managed by surgery.
After any hand surgery, patients are required to go through a rehabilitation process. The end goal of this rehabilitation often being; pain management, improvement of strength, and range of motion and dexterity.
What’s next?
With accurate assessment and early detection most hand and wrist injuries respond extremely well to Physiotherapy treatment. This then allows you to resume day-to-day activities pain free.
To ensure all aspects of a full and lasting recovery are delivered we tailor hand and wrist treatment plan to suit your individual needs.
To find out more about early diagnosis of possible problems with the hands and wrists, or for further information about Leap Health Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Centres, see our New Town, Kingston, Rosny Park, services, staff, locations, FAQ, blog or contact us pages.