What is Occupational Therapy?
OT is defined by the American Occupational Therapy Associational as “skilled treatment that helps the individual achieve independence in all facets of their lives. It gives people the skills for the job of living necessary for independent and satisfying lives. Occupational therapy practitioners are skilled professionals whose education includes the study of the physiologic, social and emotional effects of illness and injury”. An OT can specialize in many areas of practice including hand therapy, pediatric therapy or geriatric therapy.

What it means to be a Certified Hand Therapist:
An OT or a PT can become a CHT. What this means is that the practitioner has advanced/specialized training in the area of upper extremity and hand therapy. This includes custom fabrication of splints directly on site that the patient can go home with that day.
 

The Hand Therapy Certification Commission defines hand therapy in the following way: ” Hand therapy is the art and science of the rehabilitation of the upper quarter of the human body. Hand therapy is the merging of occupational and physical therapy theory and practice that combine comprehensive knowledge of the upper quarter, body function and activity. Using specialized skills in assessment and treatment, hand therapists promote the goals of prevention of dysfunction, restoration of dysfunction and/or the reversal of the progression of pathology in order to enhance participation in life situations for individuals with upper quarter disease or injury.”

Our hands interpret our surroundings and are able to communicate for us through simple gestures. They facilitate many aspects of life, making possible things we sometimes take for granted. The inability to perform a simple task can be frustrating for people with upper extremity injuries. At signature hand therapy we realizes the importance of our hands as tools of our creativity and address the problems by focusing on the body, or person, rather than just the injured part.
 
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