Athletico Health Resources

Tools and technologies can help complete our daily routines, but they are only as skillful as the user. In some instances, our bodies, specifically the hands, are the required tools, yet one might have physical limitations impeding performance and independence. Often, muscle weakness can be the main limiting factor for getting work done. To increase performance, improving one’s grip strength can be most beneficial.

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In 2019, the CDC estimated that 2.4 million workers sustained work-related injuries. Work injuries carry a unique set of stress for the injured worker combining the recovery challenges with the unknown ability to return to work.

Many patients are prescribed physical or occupational therapy to address pain and loss of function associated with their injury. Often, the injured workers can fully recover and return to their prior physical ability. Yet achieving this goal only addresses one of the two concerns for the injured worker. After regaining function, the injured worker is often left wondering if they will be able to make a full return to work.

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Completing an Occupational Therapy program for an upper extremity injury helps many individuals regain the skills and abilities to return to their jobs and daily activities. However, significant injuries will sometimes require additional time to improve endurance, strength, safety, and confidence to return to work. These select individuals may benefit from Work Conditioning, an individualized rehabilitation program created and overseen by a therapist and designed to help an injured worker cross the bridge between acute therapy and return to work.

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De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis (Pronounced Deh-KWUHR-vanes ten-oh-sin-oh-VITE-us) is the formal name for a condition that has many other more common names such as “mother’s thumb,” “mommy wrist,” “washer woman’s syndrome,” and “gamer’s thumb.” This condition is often associated with repetitive hand, thumb, and wrist use. Fritz de Quervain named this condition in the early 1900s. He was a Swiss-born surgeon, who was also responsible for introducing iodized table salt to help prevent thyroid disease, called a goiter.

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Earlier months in the year have come and gone, and the routines of the cold weather months may be changing. Increased daylight hours have allowed for more time outdoors, participating in leisure and work. As the events that consume our free time begin to change, the physical demands on our bodies, specifically our hands, ought to be thought about and considered to prevent injury.

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During Occupational Therapy Month, we sat down with OT health expert Erik Krol to discuss what is Occupational Therapy and what you can expect in regard to your recovery.

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At some point in life, nearly everyone will experience a burn. It may occur when absentmindedly handling hot pots and pans in the kitchen, taking a hot bowl out of the microwave, or tasting hot coffee. Fortunately, many of these burns are minor: they may cause redness to the skin, but they do not blister. That type of burn is a first-degree burn. They are often treated with pain-relievers and first-aid measures.

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An unexpected cardiac event, like a heart attack or an open-heart surgery, is an extremely scary experience. I’ve witnessed this first-hand as I was beside my father when he suffered a heart attack in October 2021. Thankfully, he survived the heart attack, but my father underwent an open-heart surgery quickly after that. His ongoing recovery process has been life-altering for our family, but his commitment to cardiac rehabilitation (cardiac rehab) has been critical in returning to a healthy life. For those of you that are going through this yourself or have loved ones that have experienced a cardiac event, here are some things to consider related to physical therapy after a heart attack:

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