Melbourne Hand Therapy are very excited to announce that we have a new website! Our new website launched on the 23rd of September and we are very excited to be able to share it with you. It can be found at www.melbournehandtherapy.com.au.
Our new website features easy an online booking system for patients, our patient testimonials, detailed referrer information, a comprehensive list of injury/condition’s treated and essential information on payments, private health rebates, EPC programs, NDIS, TAC and Workcover.
Melbourne Hand Therapy are now consulting from two Mt. Waverley locations: Waverley Private Hospital specialist health centre and 366 Stephensons Rd Mount Waverley. Occupational therapist Colleen and plastic surgeon Sally NG work out of these rooms and are available for GP referred patients. The rooms are well set up to provide hand therapy services and there is wheelchair access and parking on site.
Our highly skilled occupational therapists and physiotherapists can assist in writing factual, objective and comprehensive medico-legal reports regarding our patient’s injury, treatment as well as the expected outcomes of their therapy. These reports may be requested by solicitors (with patient’s consent) or by other nominated third parties (e.g. WorkCover/TAC) requesting further information regarding a patient’s injury and treatment. Our therapists will develop this report through review of a patient’s ongoing therapy notes as well as conducting additional relevant assessments that may assist in providing an impartial and accurate report.
A common injury to the finger is a mallet injury, sustained by forced flexion of the DIP joint. The resultant avulsion or tendon rupture is managed with immobilisation in a splint. But the question of what type of splint remains. There are many off the shelf varieties available, but they are difficult to adjust and often do not provide a “perfect fit”. If the DIPJ is not held in complete extension and even slight hyperextension, then the tendon is at risk of not uniting or healing slightly long. This results in a long-term lag of the DIPJ. A custom-made splint achieves both better fit and comfort increasing the patient’s compliance and chance for a complete recovery.
The team at Melbourne Hand Therapy are experienced at making these splints and will review the patient’s progress throughout their recovery.
Research shows that this splint is required full time for 6-8 weeks after which it is slowly weaned. Removing the splint early or using an ill-fitting splint increases the patient’s chance of having long term difficulties and developing complications such as a swan neck deformity.
Trigger point dry needling is a treatment technique that some of our Therapists provide at Melbourne Hand Therapy. Dry needling is a safe technique which uses a sterile, individually packaged small filament type needle. This needle is used to release tight muscles of your shoulders all the way down to your fingers. Your therapist may use Dry Needling alongside other interventions with the aim of reducing muscle pain and dysfunction. Everyone’s experience can vary, at the time you may feel a brief cramping or a twitch sensation. However, at Melbourne Hand Therapy this technique is always carried out safely in a relaxed environment. If you think this is something that may benefit you, please speak to our team or with your Melbourne Hand Therapist for more information.
