Howard Young Therapist Earns Upper Limb Rehabilitation Credential

[Woodruff, WI] - People value the use of their hands; therefore, any loss of function through injury or disease can devastate lives. 
 
A Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) credential offers assurance to the public that the therapist treating them has achieved the highest recognition of competency in the profession of upper limb rehabilitation. 
 
Kari Ruhr of Howard Young Medical Center, part of Aspirus has earned the distinguished CHT designation after completing all required examinations and clinical studies from The Hand Therapy Certification Commission, Inc., the recognized specialist in hand therapy certification worldwide. 
 
These requirements include at least three years of clinical experience as an occupational therapist, a minimum of 4,000 hours in direct practice in hand therapy, and successful completion of advanced clinical skills and theory in upper limb rehabilitation. There are approximately 6,200 individuals worldwide who hold this marked designation.
 
“I take pride in helping my patients get back to work or doing what they enjoy by utilizing a number of traditional techniques including manual therapy or massage and combining them with technology like ultrasound, fluidotherapy and paraffin treatments,” said Ruhr. 
 
Ruhr has been providing therapy services in the Northwood’s for the last 6 years as an occupational therapist at Howard Young specializing in hand and upper extremity rehabilitation. Her career at Howard Young spans a decade and she says the family type environment with her colleagues combined with the uniqueness of each patient encounter are the things that she enjoys most about her job. 
 
She says her most common patients are people ranging from age 40 to 60 who have issues including arthritis, joint pain or need access to rehabilitation following surgery or some other procedure. 
 
“While many people assume a hand therapist focuses exclusively on the hands, it’s really much more as often people’s problems are the direct result of other issues in the neck and shoulders,” said Ruhr. “There can be many factors to consider what may be causing pain or loss of function.”
 
For many years Howard Young Medical Center, has provided access to a wide variety of Outpatient Therapies. This includes physical, occupational, and speech therapy as well as cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and wound care services
 
Those specialized services continue today as Ruhr and her colleagues operate in a recently upgraded department which was completed in 2018. The project fully updated interior finishes and designated spaces to improve safety, patient experience and workflow.
 
Rehabilitation referrals can be made by advanced practice nurses, chiropractors, dentists, optometrists, physical therapists, physicians, physician assistants, podiatrists, psychologists, or other health care professionals.
 
For additional information on Outpatient Therapies provided by Aspirus at Howard Young Medical Center, please call 715.356.8870 or visit aspirus.org.
 
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Aspirus Health is a non-profit, community-directed health system based in Wausau, Wisconsin. Its 11,000 employees are focused on improving the health and well-being of people throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Aspirus serves communities through four hospitals in Michigan and 13 hospitals in Wisconsin, 75 clinics, home health and hospice care, pharmacies, critical care and air-medical transport, medical goods, nursing homes and a broad network of physicians. Aspirus has been recognized four consecutive years by IBM Watson Health as a Top 15 Health System in its annual study identifying the top-performing health systems in the country. For more information, visit aspirus.org.