Occupational Therapy & Custom Orthoses

At its core, occupational therapy helps you regain independence in all areas of your life, including those that may affect your emotional, social or physical range of needs. Certified Hand Therapists (CHT) are board-certified in Occupational Therapy with an added qualification in Hand Therapy. As we step into April, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to recognize Occupational Therapy Month and our talented CHTs who provide these services to our patients. 

When it comes to sustaining and optimizing the desired outcomes of your orthopaedic health, specialized hand therapy plays an instrumental role in expediting the healing process, increasing mobility, and extending the overall functionality of the upper extremities. They bridge the gap to provide non-operative interventions, preventative care and post-surgical rehabilitation for a wide variety of upper extremity disorders.

Under the guidance of our fellowship-trained Hand Center surgeons, our CHTs will evaluate your medical history, occupation, and day-to-day activity. They will also perform a series of evaluations that monitor the following areas: musculoskeletal, sensory, cognitive or perceptual. Additionally, they will assess surrounding vascular, skin or connective tissues. Further understanding of these factors will help your care team determine a comprehensive set of goals and a treatment plan that best serves you. 

Depending on the condition or injury, treatment options may include custom orthosis fabrication for a fitted device molded to and worn on a specific body part. These devices can help to protect and support bones, tendons, ligaments, and nerves and keep these structures in safe and healthy positions. A custom orthosis can also be used to help fix differences or help improve limited functionality. They can also be used to immobilize (keep the body part and tissue still), mobilize (move the area) or restrict partial movement in an area. 

Each individual orthosis has a specific purpose and falls into three primary categories: static, static progressive, dynamic (for increasing motion) and dynamic (for function). Custom orthoses are commonly prescribed for conditions and injuries such as:

• Arthritis
• Tendon injuries
• Broken bones
• Pain
• Burns
• Nerve injuries
• Stiffness
• Weakness

Regardless of your needs, our team of fellowship-trained surgeons, Dr. Steven Kronlage, Dr. Alex Colemanand Dr. James Piorkowski, work closely with our CHTs to provide patients with the most appropriate treatment options. With same-day and next-day appointments available in Gulf Breeze and Pensacola and telehealth options, our goal is to make visits as accessible as possible. State-of-the-art, on-site imaging and diagnostics are also available at both locations for your convenience. Call 850.807.4200 or schedule an appointment online today.