Jennifer Mathias
MHT Director
Senior Clinician
This month we welcome our new Practice Manager, Trish Gaunt to our team.
Tricia has a wealth of experience managing multiple clinics in the Allied Heath industry and managing a multidisciplinary team. She enjoys working in the healthcare industry and is very excited to be working with Melbourne Hand Therapy. Tricia is looking forward to assisting MHT with all their business needs and ensuring the businesses continued success. Tricia loves working with a large team and has had great success in creating awesome team cultures in her past career experience. Only after a few weeks she is happy to have met all the lovely staff at MHT and is very pleased to now be a part of our close-knit team.
In addition, I am announcing the retirement of Kerrin Niklas, our esteemed Business Manager who has been with MHT for over a decade. Kerrin’s departure brings a mix of emotions. Whilst we’re thrilled for her and her husband as they step into this new phase of life, we’re also saddened to bid farewell to such a remarkable, level-headed, and integral member of our team.
Kerrin has been the epitome of dedication, positivity, and knowledge. Her willingness to go the extra mile, whether it’s covering front reception or procuring essential equipment at a moment’s notice, has been invaluable to our practice. Kerrin’s assistance and wisdom have left an indelible mark on us all.
As Kerrin embarks on her well-deserved retirement, we extend our warmest wishes for a future brimming with adventure and relaxation.
The Australian Hand Therapy Association has an accreditation process that can be completed over 5 years and they offer it to hand therapy practitioners. I chose to follow the experiential pathway to becoming an accredited hand therapist which involves completing 4 core courses, 2 elective courses and one year of mentorship. I chose this pathway since it would align with my goals of cementing the knowledge I have gained over the last 6 years treating hand patients, improving my clinical reasoning, and learning about the most recent research in hand therapy.
Thus far, I have completed the Fundamentals in Hand Therapy course which took place online over a weekend. I thought it would be hard to focus from 9-5pm on Saturday and Sunday but I enjoyed the course and the time flew by. As a pre-requisite, I needed to pass a pre-course assessment and following the course I had a zoom call with one of the course instructors to assess my ability to put the theory learned into practice. Lastly, I need to pass a final assessment which is a two-hour online exam.
I have always valued furthering my education because it makes me a competent, confident and thorough clinician. The sacrifices that I make to watch educational videos after work, the financial investment, attending courses over weekends and studying has helped me to be the best clinician that I could possibly be. I was impressed with how the course was setup and the level of professionalism that the Australian Hand Therapy Association operates at and I am inspired to continue this journey.
Whether it’s sport or something as simple as tucking in a fitted sheet or putting on a pair of shoes… Mallet finger injuries are so common and can happen while doing the simplest of tasks. The earlier you see a hand therapist the better.
A mallet finger injury is when you have snapped or pulled the tendon at the end of your finger. These can be either a soft tissue injury or there could be a small avulsion (chip) fracture present. At the time of injury, you may experience a droop or lag at the end of your finger. This is why it is important that your hand therapist splints your finger in extension to allow that tendon and bone to knit back together.
These injuries can take up to 12 weeks (about 3 months) to heal and require full time splinting (even when sleeping and in the shower) to ensure the tendon heals nicely and is strong again. It is important that you have a custom-made splint that fits well during this time, as this can compromise the healing of the tendon and extend your healing time. Once the tendon has united, you may require rehabilitation in the form of movement exercises, strengthening, scar management and education around returning to sport and your usual activities.
At Melbourne Hand Therapy we have the option of using a new product which is called x-lite. This new waterproof material allows the patient to be able to get their finger wet whilst wearing, which makes it a lot easier to manage the process of treating a mallet finger injury.
Arthur
It was my first visit to Melbourne Hand Therapy. I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful, took time to explain the process regarding my thumb problem. I’m very happy with the service received. Would definitely recommend them 
Jill and Ron
Very professional by aiding the healing process with kind and courteous treatment. Thank you at a stressful time.
Janelle
Professional and great service. Treatment still ongoing
Margaret
I was very pleased with the attention I received from my hand therapist. Everything was explained clearly as to what I had to do.
