WHY Are Your Upper Extremities So Important??

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BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP…

It’s 6 am and your alarm goes off. You REACH over with your ARM to turn the alarm off with your INDEX FINGER. You REACH down to pull your covers off with your HAND and get out of bed. You REACH for your contacts so you can put your eyeballs in and actually see something. You put them in with your HANDS/FINGERS. Yippee! You can see again! You REACH for your toothbrush with your ARM/HAND, you GRAB your toothpaste with the other HAND, and SQUEEZE some paste onto the brush. As you BRUSH back and forth with your HAND, you think about how much you have to do today. After putting Morning in Minnesotaaway your toothbrush and toothpaste with your HANDS, you GRAB for your brush with your HAND and brush through your hair while HOLDING the brush. After opening the bathroom door with your HAND, you slowly saunter to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. You OPEN the cupboard with your HAND and GRAB a K-Cup with your other HAND. You OPEN your Keurig and PUT the cup in with your HAND. You CLOSE the lid with your HAND, PUT a mug under the dispenser with your other HAND, and wait as the delicious aroma of pumpkin spice fills your nostrils. Once the cup is filled after what feels like 10 minutes, you GRASP the mug and test the temp, even though you know it’s going to be too hot to drink. You go back to your room, OPEN the closet door with your HAND, and stand there trying to decide what to wear today. Finally you REACH for a shirt and pants with your HANDS, take them off the hanger with your HANDS, and put them both on with your HANDS…

Only FIFTEEN minutes of your day have passed and already you’ve used your HANDS, WRISTS, ELBOWS and SHOULDERS over THIRTY times! This doesn’t even start to account for the things you do throughout your day at the office, which may include eight hours of typing, writing, answering calls, driving, drilling, twisting, pounding, cooking, cutting, sewing, cleaning, pushing, grabbing, pulling….the list is endless!

This is why your upper extremities can be considered the most important part of your entire body. You use them to do pretty much everything you do throughout a day.

So when something like Carpal Tunnel, Tennis Elbow, Arthritis, and other conditions start to creep up on you, you want the BEST possible care from the BEST possible provider.

Thankfully, there is now a SPECIALIST you can visit in the Alexandria area. You don’t have to drive two hours!

Amos Hartsell, OTR/L (which means Occupational Therapist Registered/Licensed) has the experience, expertise and training that you are looking for when seeking treatment for the most important part of your body. He has the ability to explain exactly what your condition is, so you will leave not only feeling better but also knowing exactly WHAT is going on and WHY you are feeling those annoying aches and pains.

If you’re not sure if your symptoms are something that requires an upper extremity specialist, just give us a call — 320.335.2515 —  and we will tell you! There is no symptom too small.

To learn about some of the conditions and injuries we treat, check out the Hand Therapy Services page.

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Kendra Hartsell

Kendra is the Manager of Alex Rehab. She'd love to answer any questions about the clinic...shoot her an email at [email protected]!

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