Hand Therapy Certificate Series

Hand therapy is an incredibly personal and complex area for rehabilitation professionals and patients alike. Hamasaki et al. (2018) highlight this complexity in their study emphasizing the interdependence of both motor and sensory aspects of functioning to impact pain reports for hand therapy patients. Having effective plans of care means developing comfort as a therapist to assess, thoroughly, a patient's pain and choose the best courses of intervention to achieve his or her goals.

This course will assist therapists in developing their skills in testing differential diagnosis and developing an understanding of pathology leading to dysfunction. Thiscourse will be a good foundation course for new hand therapists and a refresher for those looking to review needed information. Additionally, each therapist will leave with testingand treatment recourses which they can apply in the clinic the next day. Physical and psychological factors related to rehabilitation will be considered during this course. Attendees will be able to identify tests needed for a number of differential diagnoses to enhance patient care and their knowledge as it relates to hand therapy preparation. Nerve entrapment in addition to physical dysfunction will be addressed as often these two components are appearing hand in hand for ourupper quadrant clients. Participants will be able to select appropriate functional evaluations to bridge physical dysfunctional and psychological impact to develop more effective plans of care and treatment approaches.

• Immediately identify testing strategies to be effective in differential diagnosis of the hand/wrist and upper extremity
• Improve your knowledge of upper quadrant anatomy and physiology to create better evaluations and more effective treatments

According to the National Safety Council, 30% of all work injuries are injuries to the upper extremity. While occupational injuries may trigger the need for hand therapy interventions, overuse, tissue degradation, and other trauma may all cause patients to seek services. Injuries to the hand and hand dysfunction impact how our patients interact with their environment, loved ones, and activities.

This course will build the foundational knowledge of the structures of the arm, wrist, and hand while defining functions and motions needed for everyday tasks including work, self- care, and leisure demands. Through hands-on lab, assessment examination, and discussion attendees will be able to gain skills in differential diagnosis as well as functional assessment skills.

• Improve your confidence with the functional anatomy ofthe elbow, wrist, and hand
• Practice multiple hand-specific tests and measures to improve client assessment for a functional plan of care development
• Hands-on labs for palpation of landmarks and application of differential diagnosis techniques

Orthotic development is a clinical skill which facilitates safe healing, joint protection, and functional mobilization for both post-surgical and conservative hand therapy patients. Developing strategies which facilitate cohesion between mobilization and tissue safety is crucial to achieve the best possible outcomesfor clients. Schofield and Schwartz (2018) highlighted the need for competent instructional video guides for therapists new to orthotic fabrication as many turn to the internet for guides which may not be authored by skilled instructors. This course aims to provide both written and comprehensive video guides on the complete orthotic fabrication process and uses for several common hand therapy patients entering clinics today. The goal of the course is to develop a functional "start to finish" understanding of how to develop the orthoticsand apply them to your clinical course of treatment.

Attendees will be guided through the fabrication process of many hand and wrist orthotics to develop their skills in fabrication and clinical application of functionalorthotics. Both early mobilization and static splintingwill be investigated to treat a wide variety of patients. Participants will be able to identify needed materials and apply protocols for immediate in-clinic application andutilization.

• Live orthotic fabrication process of techniques in orthosis development
• Effective orthotics for a variety of hand and wrist diagnoses

Orthotic development is a clinical skill which facilitates safe healing, joint protection, and functional mobilization for both post-surgical and conservative hand therapy patients. Developing strategies which facilitate cohesion betweenmobilization and tissue safety is crucial to achieve the best possible outcomes for clients as they return to function activities requiring gripping, object manipulation, tool use, andoccupation. Schofield and Schwartz (2018) highlighted the need for competent instructional video guides for therapistsnew to orthotic fabrication as many turn to the internet for guides which may not be authored by skilled instructors. This course aims to provide both written, video, and live demonstration guides on the complete orthotic fabrication process and uses for several common hand therapy patients entering clinics today. The goal of the course is to develop a functional "start to finish" understanding of how to developthe orthotics and apply them to your clinical course oftreatment.

Attendees will be guided through the fabrication process of many hand and wrist orthotics to develop and executetheir skills in fabrication and clinical application of functional orthotics in live labs. Participants will apply functional positioning requirements to orthotic fabrication to maximizeoutcome for return to activity performance (ADL, IADL, and Occupational tasks) following orthotic use. Participants will be able to identify needed materials and apply protocols for immediate in-clinic application and utilization.

• Guidance through the live orthotic fabrication process to learn techniques in orthosis development to promote functional return of hand activities for ADL, IADL, andoccupation/work-related tasks.
• Improve your knowledge of what orthotics are needed for a variety of hand and wrist diagnoses with respect to functional positioning and tissue safety to achieve functional outcomes post orthosis wear.
• Develop fabrications skills with the use of thermoplastics to promote tissue integrity, comfort, and client satisfaction/compliance with orthotic use.
• Develop skills to differentiate positioning requirements inorthotic development to achieve optimal tissue healing for functional recovery.