Our hands play an important role in carrying out our daily tasks. More often than not, our productivity and capability depend on how well we execute errands using our hands. Experiencing hand pain can harm the overall health and wellbeing of patients. For this reason, our occupational therapist in Miami made it a mission to help patients, whose hand use is limited by certain conditions, improve their quality of life.
Rheumatoid arthritis in a nutshell
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, which means that the body’s immune system itself is the one attacking the joints. Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis of the hand may often experience pain, swelling, stiffness, and tenderness of the hands and fingers. Sometimes, this discomfort last for hours and days which could affect how they do their daily activities.
How to manage rheumatoid arthritis
If you have rheumatoid arthritis of the hand, medication, rest, and exercise are essential in managing the symptoms. You should also avoid trigger foods such as processed and red meat, dairy products, artificial sugar, gluten, MSG, and fatty and oily foods. These foods stimulate the body’s inflammatory process, making the symptoms of RA worse.
Doctors may also recommend that you work with an occupational therapist to help you manage the symptoms and regain the functions of your hands and fingers. In fact, experts say that you must consult an occupational therapist as soon as you get a diagnosis. The sooner you do this, the sooner you will see improvement.
How can an occupational therapist in Miami help?
Our Miami occupational therapist helps, guides, and teaches rheumatoid arthritis patients the proper way to do their daily activities without aggravating the pain. They also counsel the patient on how to protect their hands with the use of a splint or assistive devices to carry out their tasks with few problems.
Our therapists ensure that you will be able to improve or maintain the functional capacity of your hands while preventing deformities. They also teach you ways on how to be independent while exercising self-care, labor, social, and leisure activities. So, if you like to cook or bake, you prefer to dress up and bathe without any help, or you do a lot of work with your hands, our Miami occupational therapist has the solutions.
According to a study in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology, rheumatoid arthritis has substantial consequences on the physical, personal, familial, social, and vocational life of patients. Thus, undergoing occupational therapy would be the most important intervention you can have to manage this condition, short of undergoing costly and invasive surgery.
What happens during Occupational Therapy?
At Hands on Therapy, our occupational therapists come up with an individualized treatment program for each patient. Generally, you will learn the following techniques during the course of the therapy:
-
Pain reduction
-
Energy conservation
-
Protection of the joints
The duration of the treatment will depend on the therapist’s evaluation of your progress. However, patients typically need to visit six to eight times. The therapist has to be sure that you have a greater understanding of how to manage your condition or that the goals have been met during the therapy sessions.
Hands on Therapy – the best occupational therapy clinic in Miami
The occupational treatment provided at our clinic in Miami leads to pain relief, shorter treatment duration, improved treatment results and decreased indirect expenses resulting from the injury.
We also provide hand therapy for various hand-related conditions, physical therapy, and massage therapy. Our Miami clinic offers an open and friendly environment where you will feel comfortable being treated by an OT/CHT in a one-on-one setting. For inquiries, Contact Us.
The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.
