Instructional Concurrent Session 9

Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM

  • Clinical Practice Poster Spotlight 2

    Description

    This session will spotlight several of the Clinical Practice Posters presented at this year's Annual Meeting. Presentations of interesting cases and novel treatment or educational approaches will be followed by time for discussion and audience questions. Come to learn, innovate, and collaborate.

    Level: Entry

  • Increasing Entry-Level Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Competence for Students Seeking Employment in Outpatient Settings

    Description

    Fieldwork preparedness in outpatient hand therapy requires more than traditional coursework. This presentation introduces an innovative, mentorship-driven model designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and clinical competency. Participants will analyze the program's goals and structure, apply its teaching model to align academic, extracurricular, and clinical experiences, and evaluate essential strategies for sustainable program development.

    Level: Intermediate

    Objectives

    1. Analyze the goals and steps of the innovative hand study group approach for enhancing fieldwork preparedness and how to adapt it for practice

    2. Apply the Hand Study Group teaching model to develop a structured framework that integrates academic, extracurricular, and clinical experiences

    3. Evaluate key factors for the development and sustainability of extracurricular study group programs by identifying two essential takeaways

    Speakers
    Maud Makoni, OTD, OTR/L, CHT

  • Is CMC Pain a Joint Problem or a Skin Problem?

    Description

    This presentation will be a fun way to challenge the concept of “we can’t do anything for CMC arthritis.” This session will demonstrate the various tools in our toolbox for the CMC joint as we can quickly and easily eliminate pain, especially when patients have full range of motion. The focus of this presentation will be on the sensory branch of the radial nerve and its impact on pain.

    Level: Intermediate

    Objectives

    1. Describe the pathway of the sensory branch of the radial nerve from the shoulder to the thumb

    2. Demonstrate the use of the MDT test to determine which direction to glide the skin to eliminate pain in the thumb

    3. Explain the use and relevance of modalities including thermal imaging, red light therapy, and 72 hz tuning forks for treating thumb pain

    Speakers
    Alison Taylor, OTR/L, CHT,CKTI

  • Lifestyle Medicine Approaches for Chronic Pain and CRPS

    Description

    Chronic pain and CRPS are conditions that can be challenging both physically and emotionally for those affected. How do we as clinicians provide rehabilitation for these patients beyond our traditional approaches? With this presentation, we will be exploring integrative approaches of lifestyle medicine concepts as a supplement to our traditional practices. Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty that uses evidence-based therapeutic lifestyle approaches to treat chronic conditions through six main pillars. These pillars consist of nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, social connections, and avoidance of risky behaviors. By integrating lifestyle medicine, we can help those suffering from pain have a positive direction to improve their overall health and wellness and improve quality of life for those living with chronic pain.

    Level: Entry

    Objectives

    1. Describe the neurophysiology of pain and contributing factors that may affect the pain experience

    2. List and describe different pain mechanisms

    3. Identify traditional treatment approaches for chronic pain and CRPS

    4. List the main pillars of lifestyle medicine.

    5. Describe components within lifestyle medicine pillars and how they may be used to benefit patients.

    Speakers
    Kelli Garfield, OTR/L