My pollex is not cooperating! Have you noticed when treating CMC arthritis or LRTI/arthroplasty patient’s that they just can’t control both MP and IPJs when it comes to motion or strengthening? Well, their stability and neuromotor control has gone haywire with poor pinching habits over the years. Tune in with Virginia O’Brien from Madison, WI to listen how to tease out these control patterns via evaluation and treatment techniques, to improve neuromotor control and stability. Hang tight with us till the end for splinting recommendations.

Virginia O’Brien is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (Provo, Utah), Virginia became interested in hand architecture during her fieldwork days. She is actively involved in clinical and biomechanical research of the thumb and the wrist, is a member of the AOTA Evidence Exchange committee and a member of the ASHT Research Committee, is a published author in the Journal of Hand Therapy (JHT), a contributing editor for the Yearbook of Hand and Upper Limb Surgery since 2012 and is a reviewer for JHT and Journal of Hand Surgery. Virginia owns her own business, O'Brien Upper Limb Consulting LLC. She recently moved back to Madison, WI from the Twin Cities, where she is consulting with local hospitals in Madison and coordinating internships. She was a recent speaker at the October 2022 ASHT conference. She’s presented at a variety of hand related conferences to therapists and physicians locally, nationally, and internationally since 2005

O'Brien, V. H., & Giveans, M. R. (2013). Effects of a dynamic stability approach in conservative intervention of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb: A retrospective study. Journal of Hand Therapy, 26(1), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2012.10.005

Cantero-Téllez, R., Pérez-Cruzado, D., Villafañe, J. H., García-Orza, S., Naughton, N., & Valdes, K. (2022). The effect of proprioception training on pain intensity in thumb basal joint osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3592. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063592