Have You Sustained An Upper Extremity Injury This Summer? Therapy Can Help!
Don’t Let Summer Sports Injuries Keep You On The Bench.
Do you play summer sports? Peak Ortho offers specialized occupational therapy and hand therapy to help our patients in need who have sustained hand or upper extremity injuries through summer sports or activities. If you’ve sustained an injury, our therapists can help you get back on the court or field, feeling better than ever.
Call our clinic today to schedule an appointment to receive our therapeutic services, and in the meantime, keep reading to learn more about common injuries and how therapy can help.
Staff Spotlight: Heather Beckman, OTR/L, CHT
We are thrilled to have Heather Beckman as a part of the team in the Torrance clinic. With her extensive training and certification as a hand therapist, Heather is equipped with specialized skills in the evaluation and treatment of a wide range of hand and upper extremity injuries and disorders. She strives to optimize functional outcomes, enhance independence, and improve overall quality of life for our valued patients.
Since joining our practice over a year ago, Heather has helped hundreds of patients in our community to successfully recover from various upper extremity injuries and conditions.
What Is Upper Extremity Pain?
Upper extremity pain resided in the hands, arms, wrists, and elbows. We use these body parts constantly, whether we’re working, playing, or even just relaxing. Our upper body has a big job to do, and it can’t perform the way it’s supposed to if you’re experiencing pain and joint stiffness in any of these areas!
Common issues that can lead to joint, elbow, hand, and/or wrist pain include:
- Poor posture
- Bursitis, which occurs when the fluid-filled sacs (bursae) in the elbow become inflamed
- Heavy lifting
- Athletic injuries such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or tennis elbow
- Work injuries
- Muscle sprain
- Muscle strain
- Dislocation or hyperextension of the joints
If you’re experiencing pain and discomfort in your upper extremities, it’s important to have your condition assessed by a professional at Peak Ortho.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Do your hands, wrists, or forearms ache on a daily basis after sports practice? Do you tend to feel painful stings with arm, hand, or wrist movement? If so, you may be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.
The carpal tunnel is a narrow channel, about the width of your thumb, located on your wrist under the palm. It protects the median nerve, as well as the tendons you use to bend your fingers. When excessive pressure is put on the median nerve, it causes crowding and irritation of the carpal tunnel, making it difficult for it to do its job. This, eventually, is what leads to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that can cause numbness, stiffness, or pain that can radiate through your fingers, hands, wrists, or forearms. This happens when too much pressure is put on your median nerve, located at the base of your palm. Our clinic often sees athletes with this condition who regularly apply a lot of pressure to their wrists while playing their sport.
How can hand therapy help?
If you’re recovering from a sports-related injury or upper extremity pain, a hand therapist at Peak Ortho can help you to regain and maintain as much strength and range of motion as possible.
Hand therapists provide safe and conservative methods to help treat pain in your elbows, hands, and joints, whether it’s caused by carpal tunnel syndrome or another injury. Your hand therapist can help you identify the best methods of treatment for your specific needs and design an individualized treatment plan accordingly. They can also help you identify the best range of motion and strength-building activities to reduce your likelihood of worsening your condition or developing it again in the future.
The goal of hand therapy is to help you return to your normal work, home, and sports activities, free of pain in your hands and upper extremities. Your hand therapist can help identify what activities might be aggravating your symptoms and will discuss any activity modifications you may need to make.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is an overuse injury that results in inflammation of the tendons in the forearm, making it difficult to lift and move the arm. While it is commonly caused by the sport of tennis, it can also be caused by other sports and activities, including softball, baseball, raking leaves, and even excessive typing on a computer. The name implies specificity to the elbow; however, pain may be felt throughout the entire upper extremity.
Tendinitis
Every bone in the body is connected with muscular fibers called tendons. The tendons are flexible, allowing the body to move freely by letting bones stretch apart or move in one direction or another. Tendinitis occurs when the tendons become inflamed, which can result in swelling and pain, especially with the movement of the affected area. Tendinitis is known as an overuse injury that many pitchers sustain, and tennis players may experience this condition in their elbow or shoulder.
How can occupational therapy help?
Our clinic’s occupational therapy services offer a safe, effective, and non-invasive treatment option that is designed to relieve pain resulting from a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions, summer sports injuries, workplace injuries, overuse injuries such as tendinitis, tennis elbow, and more.
An occupational therapist’s goal is to show you new ways to comfortably do things you’ve been unable to do because of pain. For example, if you develop a sports injury from playing golf or tennis, pain can keep you from comfortably being able to perform the way you normally would. An OT can help you to heal and learn proper ways to move during your game to prevent future injuries from occurring.
Call our clinic today for an appointment
If you’ve sustained any of these injuries while playing a summer sport, know that help is available to you! Peak Ortho’s ultimate goal is to help you get back to performing at the top of your game this season, so call us today for an appointment!
Meet Our Team
Grilled Eggplant with Feta
Ingredients:
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 large garlic clove, or 2 small cloves, pressed or minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/3 cup)
Directions:
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Preheat the grill to high.
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Trim the ends off of the eggplant and cut it crosswise into 12 1/2-inch thick slices. Season just the tops of the slices lightly with salt.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, dried oregano, garlic, and salt.
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Lay the eggplant slices on the grill with the salted side up. Grill, uncovered, for 5 minutes, then flip.
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Spoon or brush all of the garlic-herb mixture over the tops, sprinkle evenly with the feta, then cover the grill and continue grilling until the cheese is melted and the eggplant is tender, about 5 minutes more.
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Transfer the grilled eggplant to a serving platter and serve hot or warm.
