When You Hurt Something As Vital as Your Hand...
A Hand Expert Can Get You Back on Track

Click here to view this story as it appeared in the Morganton News Herald (Includes additional graphics and information) in pdf format.

BY ANNA WILSON
BLUE RIDGE HEALTHCARE

VALDESE - Sir Isaac Newton, the English scientist who gave us the Laws of Gravity, is famous also for saying, “In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence.”

The thumb along with hands, wrists and elbows play an important part in how we function in this world. However, when one of these is injured, it can mean losing your quality of life, your job and even your independence.

The Rehabilitative Services at Blue Ridge HealthCare know how important these appendages are and have a certified hand therapist ready to help combat those things that can cause loss of function - acute injury, repetitive motion disorders, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and more.

“There’s hardly a small area of your body more important than your hands,” said Ruffin Johnson, CHT at Blue Ridge HealthCare.

An occupational therapy graduate of East Carolina University, Johnson worked 12 years in general rehabilitation before developing a fascination with the hand. He decided to earn certification in hand therapy.

“In the therapy world, it’s one of the most feared and hardest certifications to get. It’s tough,” said Johnson’s manager, Ward Martin, PT, who is over the rehabilitation department at Valdese Hospital.

Johnson persisted. He joined the American Society of Hand Therapy, studied for two years, and passed the second hand certification exam ever given.

He wanted to work more closely with physicians - those who perform delicate hand surgery - and become vital to the recovery of patients who had experienced hand, wrist or elbow injury. Certified since 1992, he was the first certified hand therapist between Winston-Salem and Asheville. He must be recertified every five years.

“If you can improve someone’s hand function, it’s very beneficial to their quality of life,” Johnson said. “I see a lot of acute injuries, people who have experienced some trauma to the hand and have had surgery. These are people who have had their hands severely crushed, tendons ruptured or nerves destroyed. I have to use everything in the therapy arsenal to help them, and that’s a challenge. It’s rewarding because they frequently get much, much better and regain some function if not all of it.”

A web site dedicated to jobs in the healthcare field said hand therapists are preferred by hand surgeons and appreciated by their patients. “Hand therapists are in demand for their unique expertise and experience in assessing and treating hands, arms and the entire upper-body quarter,” the web site stated. “These therapy specialists frequently develop close relationships with the hand surgeons who perform very delicate surgery, often with microscopic techniques, and they also nurture patients through the crucial postoperative recovery period.”

Johnson said acute hand therapy often begins with wound care, early scar formation, and splinting and bracing to prevent deformity. “If you control the healing process then you bridge out into others like range of motion and strengthening and sensory training,” he said.

Many of his patients will be the ones who have experienced some type of injury, but a large percentage also will be those with chronic conditions such as arthritis, carpal tunnel and osteoarthritis.

Those at risk include: computer users, assembly-line workers, stock clerks, warehouse workers, drivers, transcriptionists, garment workers, athletes, meat and poultry processors, painters, writers, gardeners, golfers, carpenters, bank tellers, data entry clerks, accountants, bricklayers, secretaries, construction workers, CAD and graphic designers, programmers, silkscreeners, artists, needlepoint hobbyists, draftsmen, gardeners, crafts enthusiasts, sportsmen, musicians, knitters, crocheters, checkout clerks and anyone else who uses their hands continually or forcefully.

“With chronic injuries, we teach people a different approach,” he said. “We help them learn to deal with symptoms that may always be there so that they can maintain an independent lifestyle. We teach them to compensate for some of the losses they’ve already sustained and hopefully prevent it from getting worse.”

Johnson said that in Burke County and surrounding areas, he sees a lot of long-time employees who are continuing to work until they can retire. “They have long standing problems, but they are hanging on until retirement,” he said. “You will have to manage your shoulder, elbow and wrist movement if you want to stay employed, say as a machinist or carpenter.”

Many employees have significant wear and tear on the elbows and wrists. “They’ve completely worn out their elbow and wrist joins,” Johnson said. “We don’t call it arthritis. We call it arthrosis, which means change in a joint. Today, we’re seeing arthrosis at the base of the thumb. Some are calling it the BlackBerry thumb.”

Today’s small appliances with buttons that must be continually pushed have brought about these injuries. “We use the thumb for everything and it can get worn out,” he said.

For more information on how a certified hand therapist or other therapy professional can help you, please call Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Rehabilitation Services at 879-7592.

To search for information on a variety of health topics, please visit our web site at www.blueridgehealth.org.

ANNA WILSON is a writer and graphic artist in Blue Ridge HealthCare’s Marketing and Public Relations Department.

The second largest employer in Burke County, Blue Ridge HealthCare serves a four-county area and includes Grace and Valdese hospitals, Blue Ridge Home HealthCare, Grace Heights and College Pines Health & Rehabilitation Centers, Grace Ridge Retirement Community, Phifer Wellness Center and a number of physician practices.