2-Hour Pre-Conference Institutes (ticketed event)

This two-hour cadaveric dissection lab offers an immersive, hands-on exploration of hand and wrist anatomy with direct clinical relevance to hand therapy practice. Led by Dr. Watchmaker, participants will move beyond textbook illustrations to observe and interact with the actual structures they treat daily — tendons, nerves, pulleys, ligaments, and joints — in their true anatomical relationships. The session bridges surgical and therapeutic perspectives by demonstrating common operative procedures, including tendon repair, allowing therapists to deepen their understanding of what occurs in the operating room and how post-surgical anatomy informs rehabilitation decision-making. Whether you are a seasoned clinician seeking to sharpen your anatomical knowledge or an emerging hand therapist building your foundational understanding, this lab provides a rare and invaluable learning experience that cannot be replicated in the clinic or classroom.

Dry needling is becoming a widely-used intervention among rehabilitation practitioners to address underlying functional limitations among different patient populations. A recent systematic review found strong evidence to support the use of dry needling to decrease spasticity and improve range of motion, common underlying limitations encountered by hand therapists (Bynum et al., 2021). Additionally, dry needling has demonstrated effectiveness in treating common musculoskeletal conditions like lateral epicondylosis (tennis elbow) and intrinsic tightness of the hand (Uygur, Aktaay, & Yilmazoglu, 2021; Short, Linder, & Stump, 2024; Short, Walls, Rutland, 2025). Although dry needling appears promising as a supportive technique to promote functional gains, it must be critically analyzed and thoughtfully integrated into the hand therapy specialty. This course will present dry needling techniques for the upper extremity and hand with an emphasis on safety, underling anatomy, and integration within a broader, function-based plan of care. Current evidence for dry needling will be presented along with specific case studies and demonstrations followed by a discussion of state practice act guidelines, coding/billing, and the certification process.