Our occupational therapy team specializes in treating a wide range of upper extremity postoperative and non-surgical diagnoses — helping you regain functionality and reduce pain in your daily activities.
Conditions We Treat
- Rotator Cuff Tears / Tendonitis & Repair — strengthening and restoring shoulder mobility, pre- and post-surgery.
- Bursitis — targeted interventions to alleviate inflammation and discomfort.
- Fractures and Dislocations — customized plans to restore strength and range of motion.
- Tennis and Golfer's Elbow — addressing pain from overuse injuries with specialized exercises.
- Tendon and Ligament Tears & Sprains — evidence-based approaches to promote healing and stability.
- Carpal Tunnel & Nerve Conditions — restoring functionality and reducing discomfort.
- Arthritis — managing pain and improving joint mobility.
- Lacerations, Open Wounds & Infections — wound care to facilitate healing and minimize complications.
- Amputations — supporting independence and restoring functionality.
- Industrial & Repetitive Stress Injuries — personalized plans for a safe return to work and daily life.
What Occupational Therapy Means Here
The name causes confusion, so it is worth being clear: occupational therapy is not about your job. The "occupation" means the activities that occupy your day — dressing, cooking, driving, working, holding a phone, fastening a button.
That framing changes what treatment aims at. The goal is not a number on a goniometer. It is whether you can manage a steering wheel, a kettle, a shirt cuff. Restoring twenty degrees of wrist motion matters because of what those twenty degrees let you do again.
How It Differs From General Physical Therapy
The two overlap and are often confused. General physical therapy addresses the whole body, most often larger joints and the spine. Upper extremity occupational therapy concentrates on the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, and adds two things a general programme usually does not: orthotic fabrication, and functional retraining aimed at specific daily tasks.
It also works to surgical protocols. After a rotator cuff repair or a tendon reconstruction, the timing of what is permitted is set by the operating surgeon, and the therapy runs inside that framework rather than to a generic timeline.
Adaptation as Well as Recovery
Not everything returns fully. Arthritic joints do not un-wear; some nerve injuries leave lasting deficit; some fractures heal with permanent stiffness. Where that is the case, the work shifts toward adaptation — different technique, joint protection strategy, and tools that do the job the hand no longer can. Jar openers, built-up handles, key turners. Unglamorous, and frequently the single most useful thing we provide.
We would rather tell you honestly where the ceiling is and work toward function underneath it than let you keep expecting a return that is not coming.
Where We Are
Two offices — Hauppauge on Joshuas Path and Smithtown on East Main Street — serving patients from across Suffolk County and Long Island. We build return-to-work programmes around the actual physical demands of your role rather than a generic clearance date.
Our Approach
We place your individual goals and needs at the heart of patient-centered care, using a combination of therapeutic exercises, manual techniques, modalities, and patient education to optimize your recovery and promote long-term success.