This episode of hand therapy heroes talks about evidence based practice and practice based practice and how to blend them.  We are introducing Dr. Lucas Richer, OTD, OTR/L a new practitioner who LOVES to delve into research.  I am delighted to have met him as he is fantastic at summarizing the literature.   BONUS:  We are created a one AOTA approved credit CE from listening to this podcast and his summary sheets which are available by emailing us at info@handtherapy.com and we will send you access to the materials.  

Hand Therapy Heroes has taken off and reached 70 countries as of this episode.  Please continue to share it with others and provide your valuable feedback and emails.  This episode is with Wendy Medeiros OTR/L CHT who has created the "wrist widget" orthosis.   For those of you who have used this you will enjoy learning a bit more about the process of idea to roll-out and for those of you who have never heard if it you will add a valuable tool to your toolbox!  You will be inspired to create and share with others.   We created a lovely handout for those wanting to learn more or connect with Wendy please email us at info@handtherapy.com and put WENDY in the subject line.  Thanks as always for being a part of hand therapy heroes.  Cheers and enjoy the new decade!

Patient centered care will maximize your patients results.  This is the second part of a two part series presented by Ms. Gwen van Strien and we are going to emphasize tips for better outcomes.  Gwen is physical therapist and hand therapist from The Hague in the Netherlands. After receiving her PT degree,  she went on to  attended medical school and received her degree at Leiden University medical school. She moved to the USA were she  received a master’s degree Hand Therapy from VCU in Richmond, Virginia. Currently she holds the position of founder/ course director and lecturer at the school for hand therapy at the National Institute for Post Graduate Allied Health Education in Amersfoort, the Netherlands and she is lecturer in the Department of Rehabilitation at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She has authored numerous articles on hand rehabilitation and was author of chapters in various textbooks on rehabilitation of the hand and on hand surgery.  For detailed reference list please email info@handtherapy.com and put Gwen in the subject line.  We will also provide you direct access to Gwen.

Patient centered care will maximize your patients results with focus on tendons.  You will have clinical gems and pearls you will be able to immediately weave into your practice.  This is the first part of a two part series presented by Ms. Gwen van Strien.  Gwen is physical therapist and hand therapist from The Hague in the Netherlands. After receiving her PT degree,  she went on to  attended medical school and received her degree at Leiden University medical school. She moved to the USA were she  received a master’s degree Hand Therapy from VCU in Richmond, Virginia. Currently she holds the position of founder/ course director and lecturer at the school for hand therapy at the National Institute for Post Graduate Allied Health Education in Amersfoort, the Netherlands and she is lecturer in the Department of Rehabilitation at Erasmus University Rotterdam. She has authored numerous articles on hand rehabilitation and was author of chapters in various textbooks on rehabilitation of the hand and on hand surgery.  For detailed reference list please email info@handtherapy.com and put Gwen in the subject line.  We will also provide you direct access to Gwen.

Amanda Higgins BSC. OT, OT Reg(NB) joins us in a session of Hand Therapy Heroes. Amanda is a clinical occupational therapist in upper extremity rehabilitation at the Saint John Regional Hospital (SJRH) in New Brunswick, Canada.  She is very generous of her time as she shares her experiences as a hand therapist in practice in a dynamic setting with Dr. Lalonde and an esteemed team of professionals.    She reviews with us an an array of treatment algorithms and ideas that will help you expand your practice immediately.  I have compiled some of the details Amanda shared with us on an info sheet by sending an email to us at info@handtherapy.com and put Amanda in the email.

Listeners you will LOVE what you learn in the second part of this podcast with Dr. Charles Eaton is a board-certified hand surgeon with extensive Dupuytren experience. He established the Dupuytren Foundation in 2008. In 2003, he introduced the technique of needle aponeurotomy for Dupuytren contracture to the United States and treated thousands of Dupuytren hands with this technique.  Please visit dupuytrens.org and join in with this group  and be a part of the cure.  Email info@handtherapy.com to obtain the info sheet with all the goodies!

Listeners you will LOVE what you learn in part 1 of this two part series podcast with Dr. Charles Eaton is a board-certified hand surgeon with extensive Dupuytren experience. He established the Dupuytren Foundation in 2008. In 2003, he introduced the technique of needle aponeurotomy for Dupuytren contracture to the United States and treated thousands of Dupuytren hands with this technique.  Please visit dupuytrens.org and join in with this group  and be a part of the cure.  Send us an email with Dr. Eaton in the subject line and we will send you an info sheet with additional details. Email info@handtherapy.com

In this episode Dr. Jim Wagner shares details about the Blood Flow Restriction techniques and it is indications and contraindications.  He discusses how he uses this unique technique in his practice and for training for himself.  Dr. Wagner also discusses kinesiology taping and his thoughts on research, what does it really do as well as some easier methods the application of kinesiology tape.  Please send us an email for the articles, links to any products discussed (with bonus promotion codes) and upcoming courses that Dr. Wagner will be teaching to info@handtherapy.com and we will get you the details.  Thank you for joining in and please drop us a 5* review when you have a few minutes.

This hand therapy heroes podcast introduces the listener to IASTM and cupping techniques and how to practice therapeutic use of self utilizing these modalities.   We need to not do something to patients but need to do treatments with patients.  Dr. Jim Wagner will reveal how you can incorporate this into your practice as well.   Dr. Wagner provides you a starting guide to utilization of IASTM and cupping in an effective manner to help address soft tissue issues in an effective way and in a way that will help save your own hands.  Please send us an email for the articles, links to any products discussed (with bonus promotion codes) and upcoming courses that Dr. Wagner will be teaching to info@handtherapy.com and we will get this to you.  Thank you for joining in and please drop us a 5* review when you have a few minutes.

Once again we are fortunate to have a second session with Dr. Donald H. Lalonde, MD, BSc, MSc, FRCSC Dr. a Professor of Surgery Dalhousie University Saint John Canada.  In our last episode we touched on Relative Motion and how it plays a role in tendon care.  He is also the He is the co-founder of WALANT.surgery.   In this episode we dive much deeper into the pencil test, how relative motion is utilized for the treatment of hand pain, PIP extensor lag and early protected motion of the K-wired finger.  Dr. Lalonde will really make you think about your current practice and areas you can expand and improve in to provide your clients the best in class treatment.  Please email us at info@handtherapy.com for a list of videos and information discussed in this and the previous podcast. 

 Thank you for joining in and please drop us a 5* review when you have a few minutes. 

WALANT - the question is really... why not WALANT?  This is an episode Dr. Phillips joins us from Southampton.  He is the co-founder of WALANT.surgery and is joining us to introduce you to the wonders of WALANT.  Visit WALANT.surgery and register for the online university for FREE.  You will LOVE the resources available on this site.  Email info@handtherapy.com if you want to be added to our list of our upcoming CE course which will review WALANT and the effects on clinical practice of hand therapists.  Just put in the email WALANT and we will keep you in the loop.

Michelle Coil MOT, OTR, CHT, PYT, CEAS founder of virtualhandcare.com joins us for an exciting discussion about functional casting.  She introduces us to the reasons why or why not to use a functional cast.  Our listeners can obtain an $80 promo code by emailing us at info@handtherapy.com and simply put in cast code on the subject line.  Casting as an alternative to thermoplastics will offer practitioners another tool to have in their toolbox.  Brilliant for therapists who are travelling and have no access to a splint pan.  

This episode will rock your world if you are not familiar with CMMS - Casting Motion To Mobilize Stiffness.  Robyn Midgley has created a means for us to understand how cortical function allows patients to regain motion which they may have lost for a very long time.  She has a vision of curing stiff hands around the world and she is set to do just that.  She will discuss with us why our classic means of treating stiff hand with repetitive passive motion or traditional orthosis has left us scratching our heads with what else to do for chronically stiff hands.  She shares with us why focused motor attention is needed and how CMMS will address this.  Listen to Robyn and open your mind to the idea that active motion can increase passive motion with the proper redirection.   Our listeners can receive access to 25% off her  comprehensive course with a promo code we will send to you when you email us at info@handtherapy.  Simply put on the email CMMS.

This is a wonderful podcast and Courtney will lift you and your patients spirits.  Please feel free to share with your patients as Courtney inspires us to love the life we are living.

To access the FREE 1.5 AOTA CEU course (retail $14.99) please click here  must enter promo code: COURTNEY 

To connect with Courtney please click here  - Courtney is accepting speaking engagements and is working on her first book!

Susan Stralka PT, DPT, MS has information which will revolutionize the way you treat pain patients.  Susan shares ideas and concepts in our interview to help you understand if your patient may have central pain and some effective strategies for intervention.  

These are the books Susan recommends during this podcast: 

• Butler David. (2000) The Sensitive Nervous System:  Pain Mechanisms and Peripheral Sensitivity, NOI Group Publication

• Buter David. ( 2013) Explain Pain 2nd Edition, NOI Group Publication

• Sluka, Kathleen (2016). Mechanisms and management of pain for the physical therapist: Second edition. International Association for the Study of Pain

• Louw, Adriann et al. (2018)  Pain Neuroscience Education: Teaching People About Pain, Orthopedic Physical Therapy Products, 2nd edition

Here are the current courses Susan has on liveconferences.com

•  Pain: Whats My Brain Got To Do With It? 
•  Mirror Mirror on the Wall: Motor Imagery Program 
•  Brachial Plexus: Secrets of Treating TOS 

If you want the evaluation tool Susan discussed please email us at: info@handtherapy.com and let us know and we will send you the PDF document.

Thank you everyone - Please share our podcast with your network and give us a 5 star review.

We are celebrating hand therapy week with Sue Hammerich OTR/L who just found out she passed her CHT exam! We are so excited to hear her exciting news about passing her CHT exam and just in time to celebrate hand therapy week.   She practices hand and upper extremity rehabilitation in San Leandro California at  Fairmont Hospital which is part of Alameda Health Systems.  The Alameda County Infirmary admitted its first patient on August 16th 1864!  Talk about history...  Sue shares some study tips for preparing for the CHT exam in our exciting interview.  WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!! Congratulation Sue!

This is the first podcast on hand and upper extremity rehabilitation. I am so excited to start this off by introducing myself as an occupational therapist, hand therapy specialist, business entrepreneur, mother and wife.... PHEWW I am tired just typing that!