Whether you’re young or old, occupational therapy can help you get back to doing the things that are important to you. It’s a growing medical specialty, with close to 200,000 occupational therapists in the United States alone.
Here at SportsMED Orthopedic Surgery & Spine Center, our expert team offers an occupational therapy center at two of our four Alabama clinics, in Huntsville and Madison. Here’s more about occupational therapy, so you can decide if it might benefit you or your family.
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) helps people of all ages to do the things they want to do, or need to do, on a daily basis. OT uses daily activities, or “occupations,” to help you develop or restore your fine motor skills when you have a condition that prevents you from living life to the fullest.
Occupational therapy is a holistic practice. That means that we take your whole-body health and lifestyle into account, including your medical and emotional health. Our occupational therapists also focus on adapting your environment to fit your unique needs.
What conditions can benefit from occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is an excellent treatment option for those who have conditions that cause pain or disability because it strengthens your muscles and fine motor skills. Some of the conditions that benefit from OT include:
- ADHD
- Arthritis
- Chronic pain
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Spinal cord injury
- Brain injury
- Multiple sclerosis
- Cerebral palsy
- Mental health and behavioral issues
- Joint replacement
- Cancer
- Poor balance
- Poor vision
- Alzheimer’s disease
If you want to know more about how occupational therapy can help treat your specific condition, ask us and we can help you out.
What to expect from occupational therapy
Your occupational therapy appointment depends on your condition. For example, our therapists can help stroke survivors with balance, strength, memory, and speech. Or we can help students who have behavioral problems or disabilities perform better in school.
Occupational therapists can prescribe and instruct you how to use assistive devices like raised toilet seats and wheelchairs. OT can help with everyday tasks, too, like buttoning your shirt, tying your shoes, or getting into and out of a vehicle.
It also helps with fine motor skills like writing with a pencil and grasping small objects. Occupational therapy can help build your hand-eye coordination.
To learn more about the many orthopedic services we offer, including occupational therapy, contact us at one of our convenient locations in Huntsville, Madison, Athens, and Decatur, Alabama.