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In the high-stakes world of competitive sports, where every second counts and the difference between victory and defeat often hinges on the finest of margins, the importance of peak physical condition cannot be overstated. Yet, amidst the focus on larger muscle groups and more visible injuries, an often-overlooked element can make or break an athlete’s […]

Do you have a snapping feeling over your knuckle when you make a fist? And are you having difficulty straightening your finger?   Sagittal Bands are the “tie downs” that connect to either side of our extensor tendons over the back of our hand at the knuckle or metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPJ). Their role is to make […]

Dry needling uses an acupuncture needle to stimulate the muscle to produce a neurophysiological reaction and reflex relaxation. The needle encourages blood flow to the treated region, initiating the natural healing process and helping with pain relief. The treatment creates electrical signal in the muscle to enhance the communication and function between the nerve, muscle […]

What is a mallet finger? Mallet finger is usually caused by a sudden blow to the tip of your finger (or thumb) that then results in being unable to straighten the tip of your finger. The sudden force to the tip of the finger has caused the tendon to rupture (tendinous mallet injury) or the […]

Pain is a normal response which acts like a warning or alarm to what is a possible threat. We all experience pain in one way or another but what happens when the pain doesn’t go away. It may surprise you to learn 1 in 5 people have chronic or persisting pain. This is pain that […]

A scar develops as part of the natural healing process following the skin surface being injured; this may include a burn, traumatic injury or surgery. Typically, scar tissue begins to fill in the wound within 2-3 days of the injury occurring and can continue to develop for many weeks and months. During the early phase […]

The central slip is an important part of the extensor mechanism of the finger that inserts over the middle joint of the finger, the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP). It plays an important role in extending, or straightening, this joint.  Damage to this structure can occur due to a deep cut over the PIP joint, a […]

All you need is PEACE and LOVE after a soft tissue injury according to Blaine Dubois and Jean-Francois Esculier, two physiotherapists who have researched how to achieve optimal recovery after a soft tissue injury. The two have written an article that uses two new acronyms, PEACE and LOVE to help make it easy to remember.If […]

Common symptoms may be: Altered sensation in the little finger and ring finger Pain in and around the elbow Weakness or clumsiness in the hand It can be caused by several different reasons A history of arthritis Prolonged elbow flexion Muscle tightness or ligament tightness Swelling: caused by injury, lymphedema, or pregnancy. What can be […]

What is InterX? The InterX is a non-invasive electrical device that provides interactive neurostimulation and neuromodulation. It delivers electrical pulses (through the skin) over the targeted area of pain/inflammation or along the specific neural pathway. This stimulation has an interactive nature – each signal from the device communicates with the nervous system through the skin interface […]

ECU Subluxation What is ECU Subluxation: The ECU, or Extensor Carpi Ulnaris, is a muscle of the forearm that extends the wrist and allows your wrist to move backwards and toward your little finger. The muscle originates from the outer most point of your elbow and travels along the forearm to the hand, where it […]

What is Camptodactyly? Camptodactyly is a non-traumatic flexion contracture of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ), most commonly affecting the little finger, although additional fingers may be involved.   The contracture generally increases during growth spurts especially during the periods of rapid growth (age one to four years, and age 10 to 14 years)1 The contracture is […]

There is consensus in clinical practice and the medical literature that splinting for De Quervains Tenosynovitis can improve symptomalogy. It is accepted practice that the wrist and thumb (excluding IPJ) need to be influenced by the splint in order have effect on the Extensor Pollicus Brevis (EPb) and Abductor Pollicus Longus (APL) tendons. However, there […]

Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex – TFCC Do you suffer from wrist pain on the little finger side of your wrist but your X-rays or Ultrasound are normal? One of the most common injuries we see in hand therapy is a pain on the little finger side of the wrist. The wrist can be excruciatingly painful but […]

Recently I have experienced a truly remarkable case story involving the use of Farabloc for phantom limb pain management. Farabloc was developed by a German Engineering student Frieder Kempe in the late 1960s to combat phantom limb pain. His father who lost a leg in WWII could predict rain with increased phantom pain and so […]

For 8+ years, Gold Coast Hand Therapy therapists have given up their Christmas holidays to travel to India with local Plastic Surgeon Dr Dilip Gahankari as part of his annual, free reconstructive /plastic surgery camp in rural India at the Mahatma Gandhi Tribal Hospital. The majority of people who are seen are tragic victims of […]