March 31, 2023

Occupational Therapy for Daily Life

General Health

Occupational Therapists don’t only help people return to work after an injury or illness. Occupational Therapy (OT) providers offer services for a variety of ailments all in the interest of enabling patients to live their daily lives to their fullest.

When a patient experiences a life event, like surgery, a fall, or a stroke, OT helps you modify tasks to make it easier to do things that you used to be able to do. Treatment techniques quicken the healing process, so you can get back to living your life faster.

Say you broke your wrist and had it in a splint for several weeks. When your bone is finally healed, the muscles and tendons of that arm might be weaker or stiff which can affect your daily activities such as getting dressed, cleaning, working, or engaging in your hobbies OT treatment would help you safely increase your wrist motion and build up the strength to where you are completing tasks as you did before.

Or say you’ve had breast cancer treatment and want to resume exercising again. Occupational Therapists can help guide you on how to return to your desired physical activity level in a way that is safe and doesn’t develop or worsen lymphedema symptoms.

Occupational Therapy is available for patients without a referral from a physician. Direct Access—when you refer yourself—allows you to get into treatment earlier, saving that trip to your regular doctor’s office. You can contact Occupational Therapy online or call any of our Therapy & Sport Clinics to see if there are treatments for whatever is preventing you from living your best life. When self-referring, check with your insurance provider that they cover Direct Access. Many insurance companies do, but Medicare and Medicaid  do not.

Fort HealthCare’s Occupational Therapy Clinics offer specialized services for ergonomic assessments and job site analysis, pediatric OT, lymphedema therapy, certified hand therapy, stroke rehab, and a range of other services.

April is Occupational Therapy Month, which recognizes the Occupational Therapists and Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants and the meaningful differences they make in their patients’ lives. If you’re struggling doing the things you love to do, get in touch with Occupational Therapy at any Therapy & Sport Clinic locations. Our therapists will work with you to design treatment that is right for you.