Hand & Wrist Physical Therapyin Southern California
Your wrist is a complex joint made up of eight small bones arranged in two rows between the bones in your forearm and the bones in your hand. Tough bands of ligament connect your wrist bones to each other and to your forearm bones and hand bones. Tendons attach muscles to bone. Damage to any of the parts of your wrist can cause pain and affect your ability to use your wrist and hand. If you are experiencing wrist pain, the cause may be:
Injury
Sudden impact: The most common method of injuring your wrist is when you fall forward onto your outstretched hand. This can cause sprains, strains and even fractures.
Repetitive stress: Any activity that involves repetitive wrist motion — from hitting a tennis ball or bowing a cello to driving cross-country — can inflame the tissues around joints or cause stress fractures, especially when you perform the movement for hours on end without a break. De Quervain’s disease is a repetitive stress injury that causes pain at the base of the thumb.
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis: In general, osteoarthritis in the wrist is uncommon, usually occurring only in people who have injured the same wrist in the past. Osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear on the cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones. Pain that occurs at the base of the thumb may be caused by osteoarthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis: A disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, rheumatoid arthritis is common in the wrist. If one wrist is affected, the other usually is, as well.
Other diseases and conditions
Carpal tunnel syndrome: Carpal tunnel syndrome develops when there’s increased pressure on the median nerve, which passes through the carpal tunnel, a passageway in the palm side of your wrist.
Kienbock’s disease: This disorder typically affects young adults and involves the progressive collapse of one of the small bones in the wrist. Kienbock’s disease occurs when the blood supply to this bone is compromised.
Ganglion cysts: These soft tissue cysts occur most often on the top of your wrist opposite your palm. Smaller ganglion cysts seem to cause more pain than do larger ones.
If we are asking you to do something that is hurting too much, let us know! Physical therapy should not be severely painful. It is not common to be so sore that patients are in pain or it affects their daily life. If this ever happens during or after an appointment, let us know and we will adapt your program.
We recommend budgeting 40-60 minutes for a typical therapy session. The only exception to this will be your first visit, which can take about 20 minutes longer due to the physical therapy evaluation your therapist will provide. We also recommend showing up about 10-15 minutes early to your first visit. This way, you can complete the paperwork before your visit time and streamline the process.
A physical therapy visit lasts about 40-60 minutes. The actual contents of the visit vary based on your diagnosis/need, but typically what happens is:
You check in with the receptionist, make any appointments necessary, and we discuss your health insurance benefits with you.
You go into the gym. You can change clothes if you need to, then begin therapy.
You perform 6-8 various exercises and stretches. These can include therapeutic band exercises, light body weight exercises, or minimal weights. The stretches will promote strength, stability, improved range of motion, and pain relief.
We can initiate other techniques to include manual work, taping and cupping as needed
The therapist makes recommendations based on your progress. These can include altering the frequency of visits, making additions/alterations to your home exercise plan, or things to do before your next visit.
You should wear loose clothes that make it easy to move. We also recommend sneakers. Workout clothes will work, but any comfortable clothing will work fine. Plan on giving your therapist access to your area of concern. The less your clothes restrict your movement and the more comfortable you are, the better. Shorts, yoga pants, or athletic/loose fitting pants and a tee shirt are all good options.
Great staff and facility. Improvement and relief evident by treatment received.
This is by far the best PT office I have been to.
Dottie
This is the best PT I have ever had anywhere, and I have gone to about 6 differenet places.
R. Hukil
Staff know there stuff, I will personally recommend to my doctor that he use your facility.
Steve
Scheduling is extremely patient friendly and everyone is outstanding.
Dennis
My thanks to you and Progressive Physical Therapy for the excellent care enabling me to get back to full activity. First and foremost are the competent caring personnel. Their knowledge, support, and encouragement are critical to the success of your program. Working with state of the art equipment, they are the basis of your outstanding operation. I also wish to acknowledge the excellence of the maintenance program, which is equivalent to having a personal trainer and access to all the necessary workout tools at reasonable cost.
Ronald Danzig, M.D.
It is a real team-playing environment in that everyone helps one another and as a patient it makes you feel like you won’t fall through the cracks because someone isn’t watching out for you. It is evident that no matter how the patients are assigned the first concern is the patient’s care.
Estella Pre’Jean
There is never a time that I am there where the atmosphere there is not positive and upbeat. It truly is a joy to come in.
Jon G. Mullins
1000 Steps gets me up and moving in ways that help my problem areas – the stiffness, slowness and balance issues from my Parkinsons disease, and the pain and limitations from my problem discs, hip and hamstring. The personalized, encouraging focus from the trainer/instructor helps me pace myself and work through my problem areas – all the while motivating me very effectively not only to continue through the whole hour, but to take walks in my neighborhood and to do key exercises at home, things I’ve resisted for so long.
D.S. Winnetka
I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your hard work and dedication in my treatment for my shoulder. I know I have seen you a few times for back issues but this time was completely different for me.I will ONLY come to Progressive because everyone there always treats me well and is friendly and happy. You are incredibly thorough and truly listen to your patients… and, believe it or not, I do listen to you and continue to do my exercises at home. Thank you for your time the last 2 months… I might not be 100% yet, but I’m getting there!
Sandy Smith
I was as good as I could be during the 2 week combination of cruising and traveling in Rome; balanced, steady. Used cane due to increased walking but proved travelable, as long as I modified my touring schedule and had Stu by my side. Wonderful, wonderful trip that proved so much to both of us. Very fortunate. Often had to climb big, strange flights of stairs to ladies’ rooms and always inspired by Tatiana’s practices with me. Also used some of our exercises on long plane rides to keep feet, legs from freezing or swelling; came very naturally to me. Anxious to return to at least 1x weekly, if not 2x.
Dena
I go to Progressive Physical Therapy once or twice a week for one hour of specialized movements and exercises that help me – as a senior with chronic and neurological conditions – to maintain my balance, my strength, my movement and independence. They call it “1000 Steps,” but it’s really just whatever helps me to keep moving. The expertise and caring concern that I have found at Progressive for various needs over the last dozen years have greatly augmented the medical care and alternative therapies I receive from other sources to keep me fit and confident.
Dena S.
My family and I have been patients for everything from knee and shoulder surgeries, car accident rehab, sports training, arthritis rehab, stretching, strengthening and vestibular and balance therapy. No matter your age, they are by far the very best physical therapy establishment around. The entire staff is extremely knowledgeable, efficient, kind, accommodating and very helpful. An added plus is that you can continue your P.T. program on your own after completion of your therapy and for a reasonable monthly fee.
Marlene M.
By accident I picked Progressive Physical Therapy. How lucky can I guy get! I had major foot surgery on my 60 year old foot at Kerlan-Jobe. I was not sure I would be able to go back to work again on cement floors 9 hours a day. Thank you to Shelly C. and the rest of the staff for directing, correcting and encouraging me. I’ll miss the experience. So after 20 visits later, it’s back to work I go.
Richard R.
I have been using the STAR 1 on 1 system for the past 5 weeks. So far I have lost a total of 22 lbs of weight. In addition, my chest has been reduced by 4 inches and my waist is 4-1/2 inches smaller. What I like most of this program is that I am losing weight the natural way, working out and eating well. Hanniel is a great motivator. I have exceeded my expectations and results thanks to his support and guidance. Each week I am capable of doing more in the workout and I lose more weight. Health wise I feel 100% better. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to lose weight the correct way.
Victor Quiroz
The STAR small group training program at Progressive Physical Therapy is a great program! In only two months I have lost 20lbs and inches in all the right places. The personal trainers, Nino and Lorena, are very motivating and great fun to workout with. The great benefit of working out with a small group is that you still get the one on one attention from a trainer but also the camaraderie of being with a group. The program incorporates physical training with nutritional guidance and this has made all the difference in my success.
I have been a part of Progressive Physical Therapy’s STAR Small Group Training program since January 6, 2014. We have been working out three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) for an hour each session. In a two month period, I have lost 11 lbs. and over 10 inches in my waist and hips alone! Our trainers/ nutritionists, Nino and Lorena, are not only great to work with, but they are motivating and have a great sense of humor. I would definitely recommend this program to anyone interested in not only losing weight, but reshaping and strengthening your body.
