Athletico Health Resources

“Just one more page.”  One minute you’re being pulled into a great mystery novel and the next thing…your fingers are tingling.  Shaking out your hand and moving your elbow in and out seem to return your fingers to normal but a few pages later, the tingling returns, especially in the small finger.  Perhaps your first thought is, “Carpal tunnel syndrome.”  A quick Internet search only causes more confusion.  You might have cubital tunnel syndrome. (more…)

Athletico congratulates six staff hand therapists who recently passed the Certified Hand Therapist examination.  All have now earned the distinguished mark of the CHT.

The credentials “CHT” distinguish an occupational or physical therapist as someone who has had:

•  At least 5 years of clinical experience in their respective field
•  4000 hours or more of direct practice experience in hand therapy
•  Successfully completed a comprehensive test of advanced skills and theory in upper extremity rehabilitation.

Athletico’s Certified Hand Therapists have earned the highest professional credential in this specialty area.  Successful outcomes depend on the highest level of competency and advanced knowledge and skills.  Athletico is pleased to offer the highest quality and most advanced hand therapy to patients.

Athletico offers hand therapy at over 100 locations.

Congratulations to these newly credentialed Certified Hand Therapists!
Read more about them below.

(more…)

Another night browsing the web on my iPad – Another night of wrist pain. I look down to see my hand cocked in some nightmarish position that couldn’t have possibly existed before five or six years ago. Yikes! I am a Certified Hand Therapist. I know better. (more…)

The gymnastics and cheer seasons’ are picking up intensity! Check out our first of two blogs focusing on staying healthy during the gymnastics and cheerleading season. Our first blog by Sarah Clough PT, DPT, Cert. MDT, PES, who has a passion for treating gymnasts, trampolinists and cheerleaders, focuses on wrist pain in gymnasts and cheerleaders. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Betsy Schack, OTR/L. Betsy is an occupational/hand therapist at Athletico Skokie and Athletico Park Ridge.

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and felt like your hand was just put in a pile of fire ants? You wake up and shake your hand furiously, but the burning does not go away. What you’re experiencing could be carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Read more about what causes CTS and how you can not only prevent it but fix it before it becomes worse. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Betsy Schack, OTR/L. Betsy is an occupational/hand therapist at Athletico Skokie and Athletico Park Ridge.

Does it seem like you can’t get through the day without having pain in your elbow? You go to lift your laundry basket, pull a door open, or even try to twist off the cap to your water bottle and feel pain or soreness. Elbow pain is one of the most common problems occupational/hand therapists treat. Two of the most common elbow diagnoses are tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow. Depending on the cause and location of your pain, it can be treated easily and effectively with a few simple steps. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is written by Betsy Schack, OTR/L. Betsy is an occupational/hand therapist at Athletico Skokie and Athletico Park Ridge.

April is just around the corner. Hopefully the winter coats will soon be back in storage. April is also National Occupational Therapy Month! If you’re reading this blog you’ve most likely heard of physical therapy. Maybe you’ve needed physical therapy after you broke your ankle or for the arthritis pain in your knee. Among many other services that Athletico provides, occupational/hand therapy is quickly growing and currently provided at 29 of our 72 locations. (more…)

When you think about the parts of a woman’s body that are affected by pregnancy, the hands and wrists are not the first thing that come to mind, but up to 20% of women are affected by carpal tunnel syndrome during pregnancy. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include numbness, tingling, burning or aching in the fingers, and pain in the wrist, hands, forearms, and sometimes upper arm to the shoulder. In severe or chronic cases, hands may feel weak or uncoordinated and muscle atrophy may be present. Symptoms usually affect both hands and can begin at any stage of pregnancy, but are most common in the later stages. (more…)