Hand Therapy Secrets | Helping Occupational Therapist Become Experts

What would you look at if your patient had persistent hand pain, numbness, and weakness after a fall? In this case discussion, I walk through how I would approach the patient using clinical reasoning—not just focusing on where they feel their symptoms.

Want to become a CHT but keep wondering if you’re ready?

Don’t rule yourself out before you even start.

Start with your qualifications, get clear on WHY you want those letters behind your name, and choose the exam date you’re working toward.

You don’t need to be scared of treating flexor tendons. It’s easy to worry about moving too much, causing a rupture, or doing something wrong—especially when you’ve heard all the horror stories. But that fear can also make you too conservative with your treatment.

Flexor tendon rehab can feel complicated—but it doesn’t have to be. Instead of getting overwhelmed by every protocol, start by simplifying the process.

Too many therapists think treating a finger fracture means following the prescription exactly as it's written. The prescription tells you what's allowed—it doesn't tell you how to treat the patient. As hand therapists, our job is to use clinical reasoning, educate our patients with confidence, and apply the right techniques—not just follow a script.

Persistent ulnar-sided wrist pain after a distal radius fracture isn't always a TFCC problem. In this episode, let's break down the anatomy and clinical reasoning that helps you identify the true source of pain and choose more effective treatment strategies.

Anatomy doesn’t change—but protocols do. Flexor tendons are one area where what you’re doing in the clinic may not always match what you’re expected to know for the CHT exam. If you’re studying based only on the protocols you use at work, you could be missing an important part of the picture.

I recently consulted with a patient who had a nondisplaced radial styloid fracture—but as she told me how she had been immobilized, I immediately started asking questions.

What if the MRI isn't telling the whole story? Let's talk about a real patient case as we break down the critical thinking behind persistent wrist pain and why looking beyond the wrist can change your treatment approach.

Distal radius fracture rehab isn't just about waiting for the bone to heal. It's about knowing when to progress motion, how to teach exercises correctly, and recognizing that the elbow and shoulder can limit wrist recovery.