[Occupational therapy after complex hand injuries : Remedy with focus on activity and participation].

BACKGROUND: Clients with complex hand injuries are considerably restricted in their daily and occupational activities as well as participation in society.
OBJECTIVE: Presentation and classification of complex hand injuries, description of the important hand therapies and occupational therapy as a remedy with a focus on occupation, case presentation.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Evaluation of official statistics, analysis of publications and literature, discussion of basic occupational therapy work, expert recommendation.
RESULTS: Within the framework of reported occupational accidents, annually approximately 41% of all injured parts of the body affect the hands. The number of unreported hand injuries that occur each year in Germany is probably much higher. The hand as a multifunctional organ for gripping and perception enables people to carry out activities in a wide variety of areas of life and is the basis for a successful participation in society. The restoration of the function after a complex hand injury necessitates a multimodal approach.
CONCLUSION: By virtue of its unique perspective on human activity including the work context, occupational therapy plays a decisive role in the treatment process for clients with complex hand injuries. The aim of the rehabilitation is a successful performance of meaningful activities in the respective life context. This can only be successful through a close cooperation between all the specialist disciplines involved in the treatment. Such an interdisciplinary treatment approach enables activity and participation of the client.