Sharn Muir is an Occupational Therapist with a special interest in Upper Limb Rehabilitation and hand therapy. Sharn completed her honours degree at Oxford Brookes University (Britain’s first school of Occupational Therapy); she then went on to complete her junior rotation and preceptorship programme at the highly regarded John Radcliffe NHS Trust Hospital in Oxford.This amazing opportunity allowed Sharn to work in all areas medicine from general surgery to palliative care, from the cardiac wards to gerontology and also included accident and emergency. And it was when working on the neurological wards, Sharn discovered her passion for treating the upper limb, which led her to wonderful and amazing world of hand therapy. She was then again, fortunate to get a full time senior therapist post within the John Radcliffe Trust, which allowed her to continue gaining invaluable experience. Sharn is continually furthering her knowledge and treatment base by maintaining her continuing professional development. Sharn’s dedication to her patients encourages her to maintain a high standard of care. Sharn and her family returned home in 2010 after working for 9 years for the NHS. She has been in private practise since then working with upper limb patients both adults and paediatrics.
Sharn Benade Muir
Occupational Therapist BSc OT (Hons) UK
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapists are government registered primary health care practitioners who have completed their bachelors of science in Occupational Therapy with honours. Hand therapists then complete another 3 years of training to become certified hand therapists. A hand therapist will evaluate and identify problems affecting the upper limb. A hand therapist often works alongside surgeons, planning and implementing pre and post-operative care. Hand therapy has a crucial role in the recovering from injury of the hand and wrist.
Hand therapy can be described as the non-surgical management of hand disorders and injuries using physical methods such as exercise, and splinting. Hand therapy also incorporates techniques such as scar management, brain retraining, joint mobilisations, stretching, active and resisted exercises, and ultrasound therapy. A hand therapist can assist with emotional and psychological support as well as the restoration of hand function. The hands are an extraordinary part of the body and allow us an ability to perform multiple different activities of potentially incredible dexterity.
What to Expect on your first visit?
At the initial consultation, a full examination will be completed, and an intervention/treatment plan developed to your individual needs. All treatment options are discussed in length and tailored to meet everyone’s individual needs.
Most hand therapy patients are referred by a GP or specialist who will provide a referral letter. It is recommended that you bring all your investigations to your 1st appointment such as, ultrasounds, x-rays etc. This better enables the therapist to make an educated diagnosis and helps guide the appropriate treatment. Typical treatment will involves edema management, general mobilisations, and ultrasound where the main aim is to return hand function.