Occupational therapy (OT) is the use of skilled intervention to help people occupy their lives. If something is getting in the way of what you want to do, occupational therapists find a way to help you over it, around it, or through it. Our scope of practice is quite large. At Austin HealthWorks, we focus on these main areas:

Hand and Upper Extremity Rehabilitation

Our occupational therapists are experts in treating injuries and illnesses of the hand and arm. We perform manual therapy, prescribe therapeutic exercises, re-train the body and use modalities to treat injuries and prevent them from being problems in the future. Our therapists are also experts in custom splinting, scar management and adaptive equipment recommendations. We treat conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, broken wrists and tendon repairs.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the Science of Fitting the Workplace to the Worker. Ergonomic Evaluations are designed to identify risk factors that contribute to repetitive or cumulative injuries such as back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. Occupational therapists educate clients in proper work habits and in making adjustments to their workstations. We make changes to existing workstations and can recommend modifications for tools.

Testing

Functional Capacity Evaluations

FCEs are used to determine the overall functional level of a person. Our tests are a combination of objective, standardized criteria and skilled individualized assessment of the person as a whole. These exams are ordered to establish the safe functional tolerance of someone who is wanting to return to work, apply for disability benefits or to simply be a measure of progress at a certain point in time.

Fit for Duty Tests

These tests are designed to test someone's ability to safely perform the physical functions of a specific job. The essential physical demands of the work are identified and an objective test is designed to test those demands. Employees are then tested for safe performance of these tasks and the employer is given a report that identifies if the person can safely perform these tasks or not.

Vocational Planning

Injured workers who are not able to return to their same line of work are often in need of expert advice to choose a new career path. Ots will perform a physical evaluation and comprehensive interview to determine what physical limitations are likely to be permanent, what special needs may exist, what vocational potential exists and what path is the most appropriate for the person. We will also help people return to the workforce by assisting them with resume preparation and interview skills!