Hand and Upper Extremity Therapy

We help restore function and mobility to your shoulder, arm, wrist or hand. Whether you’ve had surgery, suffered an injury or are dealing with a condition such as arthritis, our licensed therapists can help you heal.

Arm and hand pain treatment: Why choose Henry Ford?

Our goal is to help you return to normal activities at home, school or work. We create individualized treatment plans so you can function with less arm and hand pain, and without the risk of additional injury. Our program offers:

• Skilled therapists: Many of our occupational therapists and physical therapists are certified hand therapists (CHT). This certification means you receive care from highly skilled, experienced hand experts.
• Easy access: With outpatient rehabilitation locations throughout southeast and south central Michigan, it’s easy to get the care you need. We even offer virtual rehabilitation visits for some types of hand therapy.
• Coordinated care: Your arm or hand therapist works closely with your referring provider. We coordinate treatment plans with primary care physicians, orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine specialists and other experts to ensure you receive total hand and wrist care.

Conditions our hand therapists treat

Our therapists treat a wide range of conditions affecting the hands and upper arms. We also specialize in helping you recover after surgery.

Hand and wrist conditions we treat include:

• Arthritis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• De Quervain's tenosynovitis
• Wrist tendonitis and bursitis
• Trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis)
• Ganglion cysts

Arm, elbow and shoulder conditions we treat include:

• Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
• Nerve impingement

Treatments we offer

Certified hand therapists perform a thorough evaluation of your condition and how it’s affecting your life. We work with you to define clear treatment goals and help you return to activities that are most important to you.

We may recommend a combination of the following treatments:

• Biofeedback: Innovative electronic equipment helps us measure and improve muscle and neurologic function.
• Custom splints: We design and make splints on site to fit your unique hand or arm condition. Splints are removable alternatives to hard casts.
• Home exercise programs: Therapists create unique home programs for each patient so you can work on strength, flexibility and range-of-motion between visits.
• Manual massage: Hands-on massage can reduce inflammation, improve blood flow and quicken the healing process.
• Neuromuscular re-education: Therapists help your brain, nerves and muscles to work together again so that you can perform daily tasks.
• Postoperative self-care: We provide pain and scar management strategies for patients who have recently had hand, wrist or arm surgery.

Find a location

Henry Ford offers hand and upper extremity therapy at multiple locations throughout southeast and south central Michigan. Contact a location near you to schedule an appointment.

Explore our blogs

Read blog articles and patient stories to learn more about hand therapy:

• 5 Ways to Prevent Wrist Injuries
• Get a Handle on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Carpal Tunnel vs. Tendonitis: Identifying the Symptoms