Gardening Injury Prevention Tips

Spring has sprung and we all are thinking of gardening season. Here are some Gardening Injury Prevention Tips to protect your hands and to prevent injuries.

1. Wear gloves at all times: Bacteria and fungus live in the soil and a small cut can develop into a major hand infection.
2. Keep your hands and arms covered: Protect yourself from insect bites, poison ivy or other skin irritants that may inhabit your garden.
3. Take a break every hour or switch to another activity: repetitive motions such as digging can cause tendonitis or lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
4. Use a tool when digging into unfamiliar or new areas: Buried sharp objects can cause a tendon laceration or puncture that can lead to an infection.
5. Use wide handled tools: Use tools with padding or thicker handles to protect the smaller joints in your hands.
6. Avoid sustained/constant gripping and awkward motions: Use both hands for heavy activities like lifting a bag of potting soil.
7. Plan ahead: Use a basket or large handled container to carry supplies to the garden.

 

Collaboration is key in Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapists Chelsey Reiter, MOT, OTR/L, NTMTC, and Kennedi Kautzman, MOT, OTR/L, teamed up to use their individual expertise within the Occupational Therapy field to treat an infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with a congenital hand abnormality. Chelsey Reiter serves as Trinity Health’s NICU Occupational Therapy specialist, while Kennedi Kautzman works with upper extremity orthopedic conditions of the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder in the outpatient clinic. Since this fragile patient was not able to be seen outside of the NICU, together Chelsey and Kennedi brought the outpatient experience right to the patient. A splint was fabricated by Kennedi to help support function of the infant’s hand as it grows and matures. For the splint to fit the patient perfectly Kennedi used a ceramic mold of the infant’s hand made within the NICU by Chelsey and the NICU nurses. This is just one example of how Trinity Health is Making More Possible.

Trinity Health’s outpatient Occupational Therapy clinic is Making More Possible for Toby, a patient benefiting from skilled Occupational Therapy to rehabilitate following a recent spinal cord injury. Since his injury, Toby has not used a pen to write due to decreased control of his digits and wrist. With the help of a creative orthosis fabricated by Kennedi Kautzman, Toby is adapting to a new normal and is writing again. Kennedi says the best part about helping Toby achieve this personal goal was simply seeing the smile on his face. Here at Trinity Health, we take pride in your happiness and success in Making More Possible for you and your loved ones.