North Boulder Physical Therapy, LLC has a certified hand therapist/occupational therapist. We have state of the art splinting material for upper hand/wrist/elbow injuries and/or post-surgical immobilization. Your therapist can help you regain function in your elbow, wrist, or hand as quickly as possible through a combination of manual techniques such as exercise, massage and mobilization, and training to help you use your hand for maximal function. Therapists emphasize the need to get the affected area moving as quickly as is safe after an injury. The longer a joint remains immobile, the greater the possibility that excess swelling may lead to decreased use of the area.

It is especially important to minimize edema (swelling) in the hand. The hand is so compact, and so intricately constructed with its many small bones and joints, that the natural swelling that accompanies an injury can be a serious problem in itself. The back of the hand is the most common place for swelling to occur, and if the fluid that accompanies the edema is not displaced, the tissue inside the hand can become almost like glue in texture. When scarring sets in, the capsules around the joints shrink and the ligaments tighten, causing loss of function in the hand.

Moving the hand as soon as is safely possible displaces the fluid that causes swelling. It also lessens the chance that the hand's range of motion will be permanently diminished.