The Hand Center celebrates special month

When Julia Rodrick, director of The Hand Center, removes the bandages covering a hand injury, she knows many emotional scars can be associated with the injury.

“The human hand is essential,” Rodrick said.  “Any loss of hand function can have a devastating effect on someone’s life. It is our responsibility, as Occupational Therapists specializing in hand therapy, to design a specific treatment plan for each patient to ensure optimal care and maximum recovery.”

In honor of Occupational Therapy Month in April, Rodrick, along with the staff of the Hand Center, which includes Occupational Therapists Wendy Feeney, Alana McGovern, Lindsey Hoffman and Gail Buehl, take time to reflect and celebrate countless patient’s success stories.

“We want to provide the most positive experience possible when dealing with a hand injury,” Rodrick said. “When patients walk out of The Hand Center with more functional ability, having healed from a traumatic condition or accident, we celebrate their success.”

Occupational Therapy assists people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them to prevent, or better adapt to an injury, illness or disability.

It is the licensed Occupational Therapists purpose to look beyond the obvious problems and to find solutions to ensure the patient is living life to their fullest potential.

These solutions may be rehabilitative, suggesting adaptations to everyday living tasks, initiating changes to the patient’s environment or helping individuals to alter their behaviors to reduce injury.

Routinely, The Hand Center staff takes continuing education courses, earning advanced credentials to learn the most up to date techniques.

Wendy Feeney is a certified hand therapist. The requirements of The Hand Therapy Certification Commission, Inc. include at least five years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist, a minimum of 4,000 hours in direct practice in hand therapy, and successful completion of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper quarter rehabilitation.

In addition to hand therapy, The Hand Center also offers wound care and lymphedema treatments.

Julia Rodrick is a nationally recognized expert in the field and an international instructor for the treatment of Lymphedema.  Recently, she has trained and certified three additional Hand Center therapists in lymphedema treatment.

Lymphedema is the abnormal swelling of the lymphatic system, most often affecting the extremities.  It may be associated with cancer treatments or vascular diseases and can even be genetic.

If left untreated, lymphedema can cause severe swelling, open wounds and physical limitations resulting in disability.

The most effective treatments for lymphedema are manual lymph drainage and complete decongestive therapy, as well as other therapies performed by our Hand Center therapists, who have been certified by the Lymphology Association of North America (LANA).

The Hand Center has locations in both Morris and Ottawa.

For more information please call (815) 416-0769 or become a fan of the Hand Center through Vital Care Physical Therapy on Facebook.