June 1-7: Hand Therapy Week!

Happy June 1st! This week is National Hand Therapy Week. 

What is a Hand Therapist?

A hand therapist is an occupational or physical therapist who, through advanced continuing education, clinical experience and integration of knowledge in anatomy, physiology and kinesiology, has become proficient in treatment of pathological upper extremity conditions resulting from trauma, disease, congenital or acquired deformity. A hand therapist may achieve advanced certification as a certified hand therapist (CHT). To obtain the CHT credential, a therapist must practice for a minimum of five years, accumulating at least 4,000 hours of treatment for hand and upper extremity disorders. Certified hand therapists must also pass a rigorous certification exam to demonstrate their competency in the practice of hand therapy.

What is Hand Therapy?
Hand therapy is the art and science of evaluating and treating injuries and conditions of the upper extremity (shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand). Hand therapy uses a number of therapeutic interventions to help return a person to their highest level of function. It evolved from the need for a specialist with the knowledge and experience required to manage the challenging recovery of complex hand and upper extremity injuries 

What Can a Hand Therapist Do for Me?
Hand therapists bridge the gap from medical management of upper extremity conditions to successful recovery, allowing individuals to function normally in their daily lives. Hand therapists provide non-operative interventions, preventative care and post-surgical rehabilitation for a wide variety of upper extremity disorders, from simple fingertip injuries to complex replanted extremities. Patients with chronic conditions, such as arthritis, or neurologic conditions, such as a stroke, can benefit from hand therapy through education on joint protection and energy conservation, and with recommendations for adaptive equipment or devices to improve function. A hand therapist employs a variety of techniques and tools, including activity and exercise programs, custom orthotic fabrication, management of pain and swelling and wound and scar care. A hand therapist can also be a consultant in the industrial world, training employees in healthy work habits.


Hand Therapy at TOCA

The TOCA Upper Extremity and Hand Therapists (Certified Hand Therapists) provide services that improve function, increase motion, relieve pain, increase independence in activities of daily living, increase strength and dexterity for return to home, sports or work.

TOCA's Hand Therapists work with individuals of all ages with a variety of injuries or conditions. Their areas of expertise involve evaluation, treatment and custom splinting of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand and fingers.

Hand Therapy is a type of rehabilitation performed by an occupational or physical therapist on patients with conditions affecting the hands and upper extremities. Such therapy is performed by a provider with a high degree of specialization that requires continuing education, and often advanced certification. This enables the hand therapist to work with patients to hasten their return to a productive lifestyle.

To find a TOCA Hand Therapist near you call 602-277-6211 or visit: http://tocamd.com/HandTherapyatTOCA.html


#Results.Recovery.Relief.

602-277-6211
www.TOCAMD.com

Congratulations to TOCA's Top Docs!

Congratulations to Dr. Anikar Chhabra and Dr. Evan Lederman who where voted PHOENIX magazine Top Docs! TOCA's Nationally and Internationally recognized orthopedic physicians and surgeons have been ranked as Top Docs since 2003! 
‪#‎Results‬.‪#‎Recovery‬.‪#‎Relief‬. ‪#‎TOPDOCS‬

TOCA
602-277-6211
www.tocamd.com

Hand Therapy Week 2014: June 2-8, 2014

Hand Therapy Week 2014 Starts Today! June 2-8, 2014

Hand Therapy Week (previously known as Healthy Hands Week) is an integrated national program sponsored by ASHT (American Society of Hand Therapists). For one week, ASHT members sponsor and organize events in their communities, promoting the benefits of the hand therapy specialty and the services they provide.

Hand Therapy Week brings the benefits of the hand therapy specialty to new audiences – demonstrating the advantages of prevention and treatment procedures for patients who have been affected by an accident or trauma, and educating the public.

TOCA

602-277-6211

www.tocamd.com

Meet Gretchen Bachman - Hand Therapy Manager at TOCA

Gretchen Bachman is the Hand Therapy Manager at TOCA.  Hand Therapists, through advanced study and experience, specialize in treating disorders of the entire upper extremity. All hand therapists at TOCA are Certified Hand Therapists, certified by the Hand Therapy Certification Commission.  Hand Therapists help bridge the gap between medical management with a physician and facilitate patients return to their daily work, leisure and life activities.

Gretchen graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree from Saginaw Valley State University in her home state of Michigan. She became a practicing occupational therapist in 1998, then in 2001 went on to earn her Master’s in Business Administration in Health Care Management. In 2007 she completed her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy in a Hand Therapy cohort. She has been working with TOCA since 2010.

Gretchen has peer reviewed publications in the Journal of Hand Therapy and wrote a chapter on fracture management and dislocations of the upper extremity in the book, Advanced Concepts of Hand Pathology and Surgery: Application to Hand Therapy Practice. She has presented nationally and internationally on the topics of fracture management, digital replantation, rheumatoid arthritis, custom splinting/orthosis fabrication, and various topics related to evidenced based practice.

Nationally, Gretchen has served on the Board of Directors for both the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) and American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS). She has been intimately involved on various committees, task forces, and special projects within these associations. Gretchen has also served on the Editorial Board for HAND, the official peer-reviewed journal for the AAHS.

Internationally, Gretchen has served on the Education Committee for the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy (IFSHT) since 2008. She has also served as the IFSHT Special Events Chair for the 2010 International Meeting when hosted in Orlando, FL.

Gretchen was granted an award through the IFSHT in 2009 and organized a multi-discipline educational conference related to disorders of the upper extremity in Lima, Peru. The Peruvian therapist who hosted this conference won a subsequent award and grant from the IFSHT to travel to the USA, contributing to further educational outreach brought back to her home therapy community in Lima.

Gretchen is passionate about a non-profit organization called the Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation. She has been supporting and traveling on medical mission trips with this organization since 2005.  The GHHF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality and availability of health care in Guatemala through education, surgery, and therapy.

There is a Venn diagram of 3 primary areas of service:  Direct patient care, education, and community outreach. Direct service care primarily specializes in the treatment of congenital and pediatric hand injuries.

Direct patient Care:  Following a mandatory screening day, where upwards of 200 children are evaluated to determine their best treatment plan:  surgery, therapy, or other intervention.  Due to GHHF’s unique infrastructure GHHF is able to monitor children year after year to insure they receive the best possible consistent care. Depending on the severity and length of each case, surgical patients are provided with both in and outpatient care with costs covered 100% by GHHF.

Education: Each mission, a two day educational conference is organized annually, and integrates the Guatemalan provider community. GHHF has a unique relationship with the Guatemala Hand Associations, and they are a trusted teaching source and a vital American group providing cutting- edge hand education to both the surgical and therapy communities to over 2,200 doctors, therapists, and students to date.

Community Outreach: The heartbreaking reality and reasons why we meet so many children with serious hand conditions and injuries of the people in this nation cannot be ignored and disregarded. GHHF is committed to addressing the sources behind the problems seen. GHHF has teamed up with the village of Chichoy Alto, in the region of Patzun, Chimaltenango, to improve sanitation, health, education, and the overall quality of life for these 120 families. Community members of Chichoy Alto are required to collaborate and provide a portion of the labor necessary to implement these improvements. Within this community, GHHF has sponsored and constructed 55+ latrines, sponsored and constructed 21 efficient ONIL stoves, distributing crucial fertilizer needed to replenish Chichoy Alto’s barely existent crops, distributed emergency maize to families struggling with malnutrition, helped dig hillside trenches to lay piping to supply fresh water throughout the village, purchased school supplies to the 100+ elementary aged children, and have sponsored many children to attend high school and education beyond. 

In her free time, Gretchen enjoys traveling; camping, reading, and watching her son grow. She enjoys volunteering at his elementary school, and she and her family all recently started volunteering with the Special Olympics, another organization Gretchen has supported for a long time. 

TOCA

602-277-6211

www.tocamd.com

Dr. Burgess on the Bunker to Bunker show!

Dr. Burgess was a guest on the Bunker to Bunker radio program (AZ Sports 620 KTAR) on March 29th, 2014. We invite you to take a few minutes and listen to his interview by clicking the link below! 

http://tocamd.com/Burgess%20Interview.mp3?_subject_uid=142280683&w=AAC1WnBT5mt9Zc7JvrmRJd33u6KdVxFeaZ7SderlyDcnVQ


TOCA
602-277-6211
www.tocamd.com

Liga International, The Flying Doctors of Mercy (Dr. Burgess)

(click above to view the video)

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving; a big thank you to Dr. Burgess, PA-C Lisa Babel and all the volunteers who contribute their time and talents to Liga International, The Flying Doctors of Mercy.

Below is a link from MudoFox, the Spanish version of FOX News. This second part of the special series "I Want to be a Better Person.", is the story of Dr. Burgess Phoenix Arizona, who makes magic with his hands. He is one of the league volunteers flying doctors who volunteer on medical missions down to El Fuerte, Mexico

The LIGA is still in great need help getting supplies and those supplies into Mexico. There will be 12 segments airing every night for the next several days. This broadcast is out of LA and will be converted to English for the sister networks sometime in the future. Click the link to learn more about Liga International, The Flying Doctors of Mercy.

Serie especial: I Want To Be a Better Person [Parte II]
http://www.noticiasmundofox.com/node/6429


TOCA
602-277-6211
www.tocamd.com