Hand Therapy Experts offer personalised hand exercise programs in Sydney at our North Shore and Northern Beaches clinics to treat a wide range of hand and wrist conditions, including fractures, surgeries, and chronic issues.
Each of our hand rehabilitation programs is designed by Accredited Hand Therapist Chen Li, who has over ten years of experience treating adults and children of all ages.
Book an appointment or call 1300 334 263.
Individualised hand exercise programs may be included as part of your hand therapy treatment plan, with specific activities matched to your condition, stage of recovery and lifestyle.
A good example of this is where finger tendon gliding movements are introduced to improve mobility and reduce stiffness after an injury or surgery. Other patients may benefit from exercises to treat joint instability, build strength or improve nerve mobility, such as nerve glides.
| Treatment Benefits | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Encourages Bone Healing | According to Wolff’s Law, bones grow, remodel and strengthen in response to mechanical stress. Range of motion exercises may be prescribed within a couple of weeks of injury for injuries such as volar plate fracture, metacarpal fracture and distal radius ORIF. |
| Improves Tendon Healing | Range of motion and graded strengthening improves blood flow and tendon strength. Early range of motion exercises are often prescribed within 5 days for flexor tendon repair, such as Jersey Finger, when cleared by a hand surgeon. |
| Improves Range Of Motion | Moving specific joints and activating specific tendons improves range of motion. As range of motion improves, hand function and use also improve. |
| Can Lower Daily Pain | Releases muscle tension through soft tissue massage and stretches. Desensitisation exercises may also reduce the central nervous system’s response to pain after injury. |
| Helps Reduce Nerve Symptoms | Nerve gliding may reduce nerve symptoms in conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome. |
| Supports Joint Stability | Helps maintain and improve hand function for people managing conditions like osteoarthritis or TFCC injuries. |
| Helps Restore Grip Strength | Makes everyday tasks easier, such as opening jars, holding cups, and carrying bags. |
| Reduces The Risk Of Permanent Deformities | Stretches tight tissues and joints to prevent deformities, such as Boutonniere deformity. |
| Reduces Scar Thickness | Hand scar care lowers risk of hypertrophic scar formation, reducing joint stiffness and improving range of motion. |
A well-planned hand therapy exercise program plays a vital role in supporting the patient’s recovery process. They can be given to help them recover from many upper-limb conditions. including the following (not limited to):
Often caused by overuse, injury, or underlying joint conditions.
Damage to structures on the little-finger side of the wrist, causing pain with rotation or gripping.
Compression of the median nerve causing numbness, tingling, or weakness in the thumb and fingers.
Inflammation of the finger tendon that can cause catching, locking or stiffness when bending the finger.
A tendon injury where the fingertip is unable to straighten fully.
And hand arthritis in general. Joint wear causing pain, stiffness and swelling located at the base of the thumb or finger joints.
A common condition from tendon overuse causing pain and tenderness on the outside of the elbow.
Broken bones in the hand or wrist, which often need a period of splinting or casting before additional treatment is administered.
Inflammation of the tendons on the thumb side of the wrist, causing pain during thumb or wrist movement.
Thickening of tissue in the palm that can cause one or more fingers to curl inward.
Compression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow, causing numbness or tingling in the ring and little fingers.
Surgical repair of flexor or extensor tendons of the hand and wrist, such as Jersey Finger flexor tendon repair.
Hand range of motion exercises are an important part of rehabilitation after hand surgery. Surgeries may involve wrist ligament repairs, tendon repairs, hand or wrist fractures, or any type of nerve decompression surgeries such as carpal tunnel release.
Our programs aim to improve range of motion, tendon strength, nerve healing and hand function after surgery.
Hand Therapy Experts also works closely with specialist hand surgeons based in Sydney to develop an individualised exercise program that is specific to your surgery and your stage of recovery. This combines activities for you to do at home with in-clinic sessions to ensure treatment progress.
Targeted exercise designed to help improve PIP joint extension.
Elbow strengthening to improve elbow strength and stability.
Nerve gliding exercise to improve nerve mobility and nerve pain.
Wrist exercise to improve mobility or wrist proprioception.
Functional hand exercise to improve finger movement and hand function.
Disclaimer: our services are designed to support your recovery. Results and treatment vary for each individual, depending on the stage of their recovery. Please consult a hand therapist before commencing exercises.
Patients are often referred to hand therapy within a few days of hand injury or surgery to commence exercises. If it is safe to move affected joints, movements are prescribed with the aim of improving range of motion to support upper limb functional recovery.
Your program will be introduced gradually, and your therapist may also fabricate an individualised splint (such as a dynamic splint) to support joint movement if stiffness develops.
Starting hand therapy early (when cleared by your hand surgeon or therapist) helps keep your rehabilitation journey on track while providing you with the opportunity to build on optimal joint mobility.
Our programs can help patients after surgery, with the aims of improving range of motion, tendon strength, nerve healing and hand function. Our goal is to help you achieve the best possible outcome after surgery.
We carry out a detailed assessment of your injury or condition to better understand your needs and goals.
A tailored exercise programme is prescribed based on your condition and phase of recovery. We will email you list of home exercises to complete before we see you again.
Hand Therapy Experts will review your progress at a follow-up appointment. Your exercises may be adjusted based on symptoms and progress.
Chen Li is an Accredited Hand Therapist and Physiotherapist based in North Shore, Sydney. She has over 10 years of experience assessing and treating hand, wrist, and elbow conditions, with an interest in wrist pain treatment, sports injuries and complex trauma. She provides patient-centred care through custom splinting and innovative rehabilitation techniques. She also provides services for paediatric hand therapy, and dry needling in Sydney for wrist and elbow conditions.
Chen works closely with hand surgeons, GPs, and other allied health professionals to support patient’s recovery. She consults in English, Mandarin and Shanghainese.
