Hello All
Long time no catch up. I was invited to speak (as someone who had experienced CRPS) at a study day conference at The College of Occupational Therapists in London yesterday. The theme was Long Term Conditions. It really was interesting and reminded me of the amazing job OTs do in the health system and in the community. My personal experience with OTs was in hand units, but their job description is so broad. I think that the most important thing I could say about Occupational Therapy is that it is a philosophy – Help people to continue to engage with the activities which are important to them as individuals after injury, the onset of illness, or working with elderly clients. It is such an important function in so many ways. The basic principle of keeping active is beneficial to mental health so can ward of depression and feelings of hopelessness that can sometimes be overwhelming. It can help prevent dependency on medication to treat these symptoms, by engaging and encouraging active participation which is a far more gratifying experience. My recent experience illustrated just how quick it is to lose control of your life when something happens to affect your health. Without the kind of support which Occupational Therapy sets out as its goal, i.e. To literally watch your back and help you to overcome unfamiliar obstacles, for the person in question, the experience can be psychologically devastating. In my case for a long time I was unable to use my right hand without exaggerating the withering pain of CRPS. During the first year when it seriously restricted the use of my right hand, apart from the obvious practical problems, it was the dominant one, so the loss was very emotional. Both of the OTs who worked with me through those horrible times were very aware of that fact and during treatment always acknowledged this in subtle ways.
For me the holistic nature of the treatment I had from OTs fitted in really well with the multidisciplinary approach which ultimately helped me to overcome the CRPS. They constantly encouraged me to use my hand, and helped me find ways of doing this. It was so important to do that and although at times it felt as though there was no progress they kept up the encouragement and it paid off in the end. Have a look at COTs Website and get an idea for yourself and check out the small films which really illustrate what I am saying. http://bit.ly/rGZSYt Sunny
Occupational Therapy
This entry was posted in CRPS and tagged acute pain, brain and pain, chronic pain, cranial osteopathy, emotional support, frozen shoulder, hand injury, long term conditions, mind over matter, mirror therapy, muscle spasms, neck pain, occupational therapy, shooting pain, THERAPY MIRROR. Bookmark the permalink.
I am a hand surgeon in Cheltenham and I have a Masters (MCh) degree in CRPS and its associations. I just wanted to endorse the message that sufferers from this condition must fight for their physiotherapy. This is a condition that we as medics don’t know a lot about but we are getting there albeit slowly! In the meantime the physio, or hand therapy to be more precise, is vitally important. With NHS funding struggles there is more and more pressure on the hand therapists to discharge patients, and it is vital that sufferers of this condition are not discharged from hand therapy until thed symptoms have majorly resolved. Unless the small joints of the hand are kept moving whilst the symptoms of finger stiffness and swelling persist, permanent contractures (bent fingers) may develop. So, ensure that you keep those joints moving until those symptoms resolve and that could be for up to 2 years!
Thank you for your comment Jeremy, it is so gratifying to have feedback from a surgeon working in this area. Just to add to your comment, I had complex intra-articular fractures to the 3rd, 4th and 5th metacarpals at the MCP joints extending into the MCPs.(Big knuckles for those who don’t know). So because of the CRPS and the nature of the injury, in spite of all the exercises and therapy, I still can’t make a fist with my right hand. What I do have to do, is continue even now – my injury was in 2007 – to exercise my hand using therapy balls, rotation, stretching etc, because if I don’t, the circulation breaks down, my hand becomes stiff and cold and pain ensues. The movement technique has just become part of my daily life, and to feel as though it is a chore, would be tantamount to feeling as though brushing my teeth twice a day is a chore. Also one really important tip I can give which was passed on to me by my occupational therapist was “USE IT!” Sometimes when I am attempting to open a jar or I am using a screw driver for some DIY, I can feel that I just don’t have the strength, because of the difficulty in gripping – I keep hearing the voice of the OT and I persevere. It is such a triumph when the lid moves or I am able to secure the screw in place.
You are right though it is such a shame that the NHS policy, due to cuts etc. is so shortsighted and that economically in the long term it would be so much more useful to give access to OT and Physiotherapists until the symptoms of CRPS resolve instead of leaving patients to their own devices too soon and making them dependent on the system for much much longer.