Pamela Sherman, M.D., is a highly specialized and skilled orthopedic hand surgeon at Cook Children’s who has more than 3,000 hand patient visits per year. In order for her patients to be successful after her surgeries she relies on highly specialized rehab therapists called hand therapists. A hand therapist can be a licensed physical or occupational therapist. To become a hand therapist requires many hours of training beyond the basic education of a physical or occupational therapist. The hand therapists at Cook Children’s work closely with Dr. Sherman in her outpatient clinics to provide collaborative and comprehensive care to the patients and families.

Hand therapy is the art and science of evaluating and treating injuries and conditions of the upper extremity (shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand). The Cook Children’s SPORTS program is staffed with hand therapists at three locations across Tarrant County whose expertise is treating children with an injury or condition that affects the arm or hand.  The hand therapists work with the kids  from birth to 21 years to assess their needs and develop a treatment plan that allows them to return to their normal activities. 

Injuries of the hand are quite common, but steps can be taken to prevent some of them from happening.  Here are a few tips to help prevent hand and arm injuries:

1. Wear protective gear, such as elbow pads and wrist guards, during sports activities.
2. Make sure children do not play near treadmills or other exercise equipment.  Be sure to turn off the equipment and/or unplug them from the power source.  
3. Supervise children when using knives or sharp scissors. 
4. When using a game controller, put pillows in your lap to rest your arms on. 
5. Take regular breaks when performing a repetitive task.  This can help prevent overuse injuries.
6. Change positions often if you are going to be holding an object for an extended amount of time.
7. Review your body mechanics and posture when performing a task.

About the author

Cara Smith, PT, CHT, is a certified hand therapist and the Hand Therapy Program coordinator for the SPORTS program at Cook Children's. Cook Children's offers hand rehabilitation services for all ages, diagnoses and stages of care. We help rehabilitate children/adolescents with a wide variety of congenital conditions and traumatic injuries.

For more information, call 817-347-2925. Cook Children's hand rehabilitation services are under the direction of our Sports Performance Orthopedic Rehabilitation Team Specialists (SPORTS). 

Cook Children's offers three SPORTS Rehab locations for hand therapy:

750 Mid Cities Blvd., Suite 130, Hurst, TX 76054

1919 8th Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76110

801 Matlock Rd., Mansfield, TX 76063

Oosthuizen said he was closing the bathroom door Tuesday morning at the place his family is staying for this week's Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Sophia was on the other side.

"Her finger was on the side of the hinges," Oosthuizen said. "It nearly cut off the finger completely."

Oosthuizen rushed his daughter to the emergency room at Cook Children's, which is located in Fort Worth and is the primary charity for the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

At the hospital, they met with Dr. Pamela Sherman, an orthopedic surgeon and hand specialist. She explained that it was important to repair the nail bed on Sophia's finger and give the new nail a chance to grow in order to save the finger. Dr. Sherman then performed the surgery.

"It was a scary moment," Oosthuizen said. "It was Sophia's first time under anesthesia. You never know what's going to happen.

"Dr. Sherman was great. ... She told us it's important to have the proper people doing it, and they have some of the best there."

Sophia will go to Cook Children's on Sunday for a check-up before the Oosthuizens return home.

Louis Oosthuizen is grateful for the attention his daughter received at Cook Children's.

"If I'm in doubt ever to have any surgery or something for my kids, I'll fly in to see them," Oosthuizen said. "The way they handled it, the way they spoke to us and treated the kids -- it was amazing to us.

"I didn't even know there were hospitals like that."