HAND therapy practitioners are campaigning to raise awareness of their role in restoring hand function following a workplace injury.
Safe Work Australia statistics show that the wrist and hand were the most common injury site at 38 per cent of all work-related hospitalisations in Australia.
Hand Therapy Week from 5-11 June will shed light on the advanced practice of hand therapy and the practitioners leading the way in assessing, diagnosing and treating upper limb injuries.
The Australian Hand Therapy Association and 1000 practitioners across the country will educate the community about their ability to help patients with burns, scars, fractures, dislocations and tendonitis, conditions such as arthritis, carpel tunnel, and injuries from sporting, workplace or transport accidents.
“It is equally important that people know about hand therapy practitioners and their role in restoring people’s lives,” association CEO Wendy Rowland said.
Hand therapist Sam Jubber from Peninsula Hand Therapy sees patients daily whose quality of life is severely impacted.
Mornington Peninsula champion skier Gus Broersen was referred to Jubber by a surgeon for assistance with pre and post-surgery application of a cast to allow him to continue skiing following a ruptured ligament in his thumb.
Broersen, one of Mount Hotham Alpine Resort’s athlete ambassadors, is well on the way to being back to his fittest.
A special, custom-made cast has provided the thumb with protection and after surgery the skier attended further rehabilitation appointments and was given strengthening exercises so he could continue his sporting success.
On skis since he was four, Broersen hopes to represent Australia at the 2026 Olympics.
First published in the Mornington News – 6th June 2023
