[Aims of hand therapy in treatment of rheumatoid hand].

When dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, the main issues of hand therapy are the treatment of hand and finger joints. We emphasize mobilisation of joints, muscle strengthening, correcting deformities by low temperature splints and joint protection. Further tasks of occupational therapy are: Informing patients about adaptive devices and training their use as well as educational programs for patients with reduced mobility of the upper limb. The most common surgery on the rheumatoid hand, that need postoperative treatment by a hand therapist are complete and limited arthrodesis of the wrist, surgical reconstruction of tendons, arthroplasty and arthrodeses of and for finger joints, and so on. At the Nordwestdeutsches Rheumazentrum St. Josef-Stift Sendenhorst we have designed a standard postoperative management for treating arthroplasty with a "Silikonspacer" in the metacarpophalangeal joints.