Dr. Fornfeist says. “The thing that
determines the outcome is therapy. We
often tell our patients that what we [as
surgeons] do is maybe only 20 percent of
their overall care.”
Mr. Ortiz works with a team of
occupational therapists to rehabilitate
injured hands. Their job is to help
patients relearn everyday functions and
activities following hand surgery.
Mr. Ortiz uses equipment that allows
patients to practice actions like buttoning
a shirt or using a screwdriver. “When
patients are going through therapy, we
have them try to perform the activities
they normally would do while they’re at
home or at work,” he says. “I believe they
feel more confident when they see
themselves doing functional activities that
they know they will need to accomplish
outside of therapy, versus just moving
their fingers or squeezing a tennis ball.”
Mr. Ortiz says most patients respond
well to hand therapy in four to six weeks.
Patients recovering from a severe hand
injury may be in therapy for two or three
months. “Rehabilitative therapy can be
painful, so we help our patients work
through the pain and encourage them to
focus on the better days ahead,” he says.
Though the Hand Center has achieved
a great deal so far, the physicians have still
more plans. “Our number one goal is to
become truly integrated when the Hand
Center finds a new home in the Scott &
White Bone and Joint Institute,” says
Dr. Weber. The institute is still in the
planning stage and will house all the
necessary services for orthopedic care.
Dr. Fornfeist says, [continued on page 10]
Hand therapist Jaime Ortiz
helps patients master the
activities of daily living
after injury or disease.
www.sw.org | Spring 11 THE CATALYST
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