Restore Function
with Hand Therapy!
At Form Hand Therapy, you will work with Fremont’s Top Hand Therapists
not only to restore normal functions but also to relieve your pain and speed recovery time.
Paul Clementi's Success Story
After Paul was attacked by a friend’s dog, he was rushed to the emergency room and received eight staples and multiple stitches to his wrist. Watch Paul’s account of his experience with Dr. Besh and FORM Hand Therapy to help him with the rehabilitation of his wrist.
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Hand, Wrist, & Elbow Conditions
Benefits of Custom-Fabricated Splints
At FORM Hand Therapy, we offer same-day custom-fabricated splints to our patients. These splints are more beneficial than casts because:
- They only immobilize the necessary joints.
- They are lightweight.
- They can be modified to fit your specific needs.
- They are molded to ensure correct sizing, positioning, and comfort.
- They provide optimal joint positioning to promote healing, reduced pain, and swelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hand therapy?
Hand Therapy is defined as the art and science of rehabilitation of the upper extremity (hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder). It combines occupational and physical therapy theory with comprehensive knowledge of the upper extremity structure, function, and activity. Hand therapy uses various therapeutic interventions to prevent impairment, restore function, and/or reverse the progression of hand and upper extremity conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Who is a Certified Hand Therapist?
Certified Hand Therapists are Occupational or Physical Therapists that have a minimum of 3 years of clinical experience, including 4,000 hours or more of direct hand therapy practice. Certified Hand Therapists also pass a comprehensive certification exam of advanced clinical skills and rehabilitative theory, and are required to recertify every 5 years. At FORM Hand Therapy, we provide continuing education and training for our Occupational Therapists pursuing certification in hand therapy.
What does a hand therapist do?
Our therapists conduct a thorough evaluation of your condition, discuss treatment plans, and formulate an effective program to help you achieve your therapy goals successfully. Hand therapists focus on the process of regaining range of motion, protection of healing structures, and restoring function. We use a variety of methods to tailor treatment plans to meet the unique needs of our patients. Our hands-on, one-on-one approach to therapy ensures that you receive the best possible care.
A variety of techniques and tools may be used in In therapeutic intervention, including but not limited to:
- Activity/exercise regimes custom-designed to increase motion, dexterity, and strength with the ultimate goal of improving function
- Behavior management
- Compressive therapy
- Desensitization, sensory re-education or sensory compensatory techniques
- Electrical modalities
- Ergonomic modifications
- Adaptive techniques and suggestions for adaptive/assistive devices equipment
- Industrial consultation
- Joint protection and energy conservation training
- Manual therapy
- Orthotic fabrication for post-op surgical protection/immobilization, correction of injury or deformity and conservative management of common upper extremity syndromes
- Prosthetic training
- Thermal modalities
- Work conditioning/hardening/retraining
What are the benefits of hand therapy?
Since our hand therapists work closely with the physician and patient, often starting within days of the injury or surgery, patients experience the following benefits
- Reduction in overall treatment time due to accurate assessments, immediate care, and effective treatment.
- Decreased medical costs due to faster recovery.
- Reduced need for multiple medical providers in following a continuum of care protocol to ensure the best outcomes for patients.
- Maximized rehabilitation outcomes for patients ensuring a faster return-to-work and a productive lifestyle.
How long is a hand therapy appointment?
Your appointment time is usually based on your diagnosis and state of progress. But generally, a hand therapy appointment may last between 30 minutes and one hour.
Where is FORM Hand Therapy located?
Patients will not have to travel far to see us. With our convenient location in Fremont, we are easily accessible to Silicon Valley, Oakland, and the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area. Check out our Map and Directions page for specifics.
What are FORM Hand Therapy’s office hours?
Our office is open Monday through Friday and offers appointments as early as 6 am to accommodate patients before work.
At FORM Hand Therapy, our office hours are:
Monday – Thursday – 6:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday – 6:00 am – 3:30 pm
Saturday and Sunday – Closed
Is hand therapy a part of occupational therapy?
Hand therapy is actually a specialty practice area of occupational therapy where the focus is on treating orthopedic-based upper extremity conditions to optimize the functional use of the hand and arm.
When to see a hand therapist?
If you are someone who has developed limitations in range of motion or function of the hand, wrist, elbow or shoulder whether it be from acute or chronic conditions, injury or trauma, limited by instability or disability, even amputation with replantation and revascularization, our hand therapists are here to help you regain functionality. Hand therapy can be approached as the first line of treatment as conservative management, initiated as a preventative treatment, and extremely necessary following any hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder surgery. Ask your doctor for a referral to FORM Hand Therapy to get started.
Additional hand therapy questions?
If you have additional questions, please call the FORM Hand Therapy office at (510) 585-2535.
Meet Our Registered/Licensed Hand Therapists
start your recovery!
Hand Therapy helps reduce inflammation, pain, and stiffness in the injured area
while increasing range of motion and strength through rehabilitative therapies.
while increasing range of motion and strength through rehabilitative therapies.