Certified Hand Therapist (CHT)
Meet Outbound’s own Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist; Kathy Palmer.
Kathy has over 25 years of experience treating a variety of hand and upper extremity injuries. She specializes in hand, wrist, and elbow rehabilitation, management of the injured worker, and custom splint fabrication.
Kathy is also a credentialed Occupational Therapist; she treats injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. She helps these patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.
What is a certified hand therapist (CHT)?
A certified hand therapist is an OT or PT with a minimum of 3 years of experience treating disorders of the upper quadrant who has successfully completed 4,000 hours of treatment and passed a rigorous examination with content including upper extremity anatomy, treatment protocols, and therapy techniques. There are 6,795 CHT’s in the United States and only 3 in Jefferson City, Missouri.
How can a CHT help our patients?
A CHT has extensive knowledge of the anatomy of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand and can administer the appropriate modalities, manual therapy techniques, and exercises to decrease pain and improve strength, mobility, and function. A hand therapist can also provide assistance with custom splint fabrication and/or administering an appropriate over-the-counter brace for various injuries.
Patient Testimonials:
“I’m a patient of Kathy Nelson who lost part of my right ring finger. Kathy has really helped me with my flexibility and sensation in my finger. Kathy is very knowledgeable in answering my questions that I might have and even working to get me approved for the splint I needed so I could get back to work. I highly recommend Kathy for a therapist as even my doctor was surprised to see how well my finger looked and worked.”
— Troy A.
Prior to coming to Outbound Physical Therapy & Rehab, I suffered with debilitating elbow pain for years. I sought previous treatment through platelet replacement therapy, steroid injections, physical therapy and even invasive orthopedic surgery. As I searched for alternative therapies to find relief so that I could get back to pain free golf, my primary hobby and stress relief, I learned about Outbound’s Neubie Electrical Stimulation therapy. That therapy coupled with Kathy Nelson’s holistic approach provided complete relief to pain that kept me from golf, interrupted my sleep, and kept me from performing day to day tasks. We are fortunate to have such talented and accessible therapists in mid-Missouri!
— C.G.