Hand Therapy
Expert Assessment & Treatment for Hand, Wrist and Elbow Injuries
Your hands are involved in almost everything you do—from typing and gardening to lifting your children, gripping handlebars on the bike trails, skiing, climbing and working. When pain, stiffness or weakness develops, even simple daily tasks can become difficult.
At Alpine Physiotherapy, we provide comprehensive Hand Therapy for acute injuries, post-operative rehabilitation and persistent hand, wrist and elbow conditions. Our goal is to reduce pain, restore movement and strength, and help you return to work, sport and the activities you enjoy as quickly and safely as possible.
Whether you’ve broken a wrist, injured a finger on the ski slopes, developed tennis elbow, or are recovering after surgery, our experienced physiotherapists provide personalised, evidence-based care to support your recovery.
What is Hand Therapy?
Hand Therapy is a specialised area of physiotherapy focused on the rehabilitation of conditions affecting the:
- Hand
- Fingers
- Thumb
- Wrist
- Forearm
- Elbow
Treatment combines expert assessment, hands-on therapy, exercise rehabilitation, education and, where appropriate, custom splinting to help restore normal function.
Early assessment often leads to faster recovery and can help prevent long-term stiffness, weakness and loss of function.
Common Conditions We Treat
Our Wanaka hand therapists regularly assess and treat a wide range of conditions, including:
Hand and Finger Injuries
- Finger sprains
- Finger dislocations
- Finger fractures
- Mallet finger
- Jersey finger
- Trigger finger
- Tendon injuries
- Ligament injuries
- Finger stiffness
Wrist Conditions
- Wrist sprains
- Distal radius (wrist) fractures
- Scaphoid injuries
- TFCC (Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex) injuries
- Wrist instability
- Arthritis
- De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
- Ganglion cysts
Thumb Injuries
- Thumb ligament injuries (Skier’s Thumb)
- Thumb arthritis
- Thumb fractures
- Thumb sprains
Elbow Conditions
- Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylalgia)
- Golfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylalgia)
- Elbow fractures
- Tendinopathies
- Nerve irritation
Hand Therapy After Surgery
Following surgery, rehabilitation plays a vital role in achieving the best possible outcome.
We commonly assist patients recovering from:
- Tendon repairs
- Fracture fixation
- Ligament reconstruction
- Carpal tunnel release
- Trigger finger release
- Dupuytren’s contracture surgery
- Joint replacements
- Arthroscopy
Working closely with your surgeon, we’ll guide your rehabilitation through each stage of healing to help restore movement, strength and function.
Sports & Adventure Injuries
Living in Wanaka means enjoying an active lifestyle—but it also means hand injuries are common.
We frequently treat injuries sustained during:
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Mountain biking
- Rock climbing
- Trail running
- Rugby
- Netball
- Golf
- Tennis
- Hunting
- Farming
Our rehabilitation programmes are designed to help you safely return to your sport while reducing the risk of re-injury.
How We Assess Your Injury
Every injury is different.
Your assessment may include:
- Discussion about your symptoms and goals
- Examination of joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments
- Grip strength testing
- Range of movement assessment
- Functional testing
- Review of any X-rays, MRI or ultrasound imaging
- Assessment of work and sporting demands
Following your assessment, we’ll explain your diagnosis, expected recovery timeline and develop an individual treatment plan.
Treatment May Include
Every rehabilitation programme is tailored to your injury and goals.
Treatment may include:
Hands-on Therapy
- Joint mobilisation
- Soft tissue massage
- Scar management
- Swelling management
Exercise Rehabilitation
Progressive exercises to improve:
- Strength
- Grip
- Dexterity
- Mobility
- Coordination
- Endurance
Splinting & Bracing
Where appropriate, we can provide:
- Custom splints
- Finger splints
- Wrist supports
- Protective braces
Splints can assist healing while allowing safe movement throughout recovery.
Return to Work & Sport
We’ll guide your return to:
- Office work
- Manual labour
- Farming
- Trades
- Sport
- Hobbies
- Everyday activities
Our goal is to restore confidence as well as function.
ACC Hand Therapy
Most hand, wrist and elbow injuries are covered by ACC if they result from an accident.
If you’ve injured your hand at work, while playing sport, skiing, mountain biking or during everyday activities, we can help manage your ACC claim and begin treatment promptly.
Early rehabilitation often leads to better outcomes and a quicker return to normal activities.
Why Choose Alpine Physiotherapy?
At Alpine Physiotherapy, we combine expert clinical assessment with personalised rehabilitation to help you recover as quickly and safely as possible.
We understand the demands of living and working in Wanaka—from farming and construction to skiing, mountain biking and climbing. Our treatment programmes are designed around your lifestyle and the activities that matter most to you.
Whether your goal is getting back on the ski field, returning to work pain-free, or simply being able to open a jar without discomfort, we’re here to help every step of the way.
We work with a network of specialists and can refer you for urgent review and scans if required.
