The main purpose of occupational therapy in hand rehabilitation is to enable patients to independently engage in self-care work and spare time life, and to obtain a better quality of life through meaningful activities. The existence and function of hand is of great significance to people's life. When the hand and hand function are damaged and there are obstacles, it will have a great impact on the lifestyle and quality of life of patients. Therefore, hand rehabilitation has gradually been valued by everyone. In the United States, the Association of Hand Therapists was founded in 1978. Members must be occupational therapists or physiotherapists who have been engaged in hand rehabilitation for more than three years and specialize in hand rehabilitation research. Almost all presidents are occupational therapists. The mission of the American Association of Hand Therapists is to strengthen the specialty of hand rehabilitation through communication, education, scientific research and standard setting. They provide rehabilitation services for patients with hand injuries or disabilities. The main work includes: early postoperative rehabilitation, including wound treatment, scar control, edema reduction, middle and late rehabilitation, including relieving pain and allergies, expanding joint range of motion, and enhancing muscle strength and hand coordination. The methods include sensory re-education of sports orthosis. Hand therapists should also provide advice on industrial safety and health, such as reducing industrial accidents or muscle strains and reforming the workplace environment.
Occupational therapy often takes handicraft activities as the treatment medium, and enhances hand strength and improves hand coordination through various hand operations. Therefore, the therapist must have a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the structure and function of the hand, and need to provide patients with comprehensive rehabilitation services. Besides treating and improving hands, orthoses or assistive devices should be designed and manufactured according to the specific conditions of each patient's hands when necessary, and the living and working environment of patients should be transformed as needed.
Although there is no professional organization of hand therapists in China, occupational therapists and physiotherapists are actively engaged in rehabilitation. In 1970s, occupational therapists used metal and leather to make orthoses for patients, which improved the effect of hand function rehabilitation. With the invention of low-temperature plastic material, this material was widely used to manufacture orthoses for occupational therapy after 1980s. Orthopedics doctors and therapists have carried out a lot of research, including the influence of scar tissue and pressure on scar and the influence of different orthoses on fracture. Scientific research results make hand rehabilitation more systematic and standardized, and greatly improve the effect of hand treatment and rehabilitation.