Hand Therapy for Musicians by Dr. Aviva Wolff
Aviva works with individual musicians and musical groups to educate, prevent and manage performance related injuries. She uses a customized approach that is based on the player’s specific instrument and performance demands to promote healthy habits and avoid injury. She is available for individual consultations and group presentations.
Aviva’s clinical and research focus is based on preventing injury by appreciating and understanding the needs and abilities of the individual. Her clinical work is focused on an individualized analysis of movement patterns and functional requirements of each patient.
When working with instrumentalists and athletes her focus is on the individual demands of the specific instrument or sport and the performance requirements.
She has specialized expertise in movement analysis and motor control and uses these skills to assess and evaluate each condition and injury. Treatment is custom tailored to match the individual findings and movement requirements.
A hand therapist is an occupational or physical therapist who specializes in rehabilitation of the hand and upper extremity.
Hand therapists receive specialized training and certification in hand therapy. They are highly trained and have specialized expertise in treating a wide range of upper extremity conditions and injuries.
They are also highly trained in fabrication of customized orthoses (braces and splints) to protect injuries and repaired structures. A hand therapist can customize an orthosis to the instrument to allow a musician to play safely while recovering from injury.
Hand therapists work with clients to restore function and return to work and a productive lifestyle.
A hand therapist can evaluate and treat any problem related to the arm and hand.
A hand therapist can provide treatment to prevent injury or rehabilitation following an injury or surgery.
A hand therapist can work with you to develop a return to play schedule after injury.
Hand therapists also provide consultation for proper body techniques and safe performance of daily and work related activities to prevent injuries.
A hand therapist can assess playing posture and playing position to determine faulty movement patterns and make recommendations for more efficient body mechanics and instrument set-up to avoid injury and optimize playing performance.