The Hand & Wrist Clinic is a specialist service designed to assist in the accurate diagnosis and immediate management of hand and wrist injuries. This includes acute trauma such as fractures, ligament tears, pulley and muscle injuries as well as more chronic conditions.
Using a plastic material which softens when heated and hardens when cooled, tailor made splints can be made for your hand or wrist to improve symptoms of conditions like arthritis and tendinitis, but also to treat acute injuries like fractures and tendon or ligament tears. By keeping the joints still and supported it can help to allow tissues to heal, but also to rest and decrease pain.
As with most injuries or conditions related to our joints, exercise is important. When it comes to the wrist and hand, doing the right kind of exercise is especially important. Exercise programs will be focused on your individual needs. Whether this is to be able to open a jar, or get back to playing tennis, the optimal bespoke exercise program will be made for you.
Hands on skills can be extremely helpful in reducing pain related to your hand or wrist condition. Massage can help reduce pain and muscle spasm, and modalities like joint mobilisations are safe and effective treatments to increase joint range of motion.
Like splinting, the use of tape can be helpful to offload tendons, muscles, and joints. This can help to reduce pain and provide some support without completely immobilising your joint.
Another adjunct to rehabilitation, the use of fine needles in acupuncture can help to reduce pain in hand and wrist problems. A temporary measure for pain, it can be useful for conditions like hand and wrist arthritis to lower pain levels without medication.
One of the most important aspects of treating the hand and wrist is the right advice and education. This might look like changing how we use our hands for daily tasks like cooking and cleaning, the use of adaptive devices like electric tin openers, and how to avoid aggravating pain through methods like pacing.
Will is a specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist and has worked across multiple NHS trusts in London, with extensive experience in post operative rehabilitation, sports injuries, repetitive strain injuries, hypermobility and chronic pain. He provides skilled treatment in all parts of the body but having worked as a hand therapist as well, Will has unique expertise in upper limb problems and can provide specialist treatment including bespoke thermoplastic splinting to manage hand and wrist problems.
Dorsal wrist pain refers to pain you might feel on the back (dorsal means back, like a dorsal fin on the back of a shark) of your wrist during weight bearing positions such as during a press up or when pushing up from a chair.
The Laboratory Spa and Health Club
The Avenue, Muswell Hill
London
N10 2QE
The Laboratory Spa and Health Club
1A Hall Lane, Mill Hill
London
NW4 4TJ