Welcome to Occupational Therapy
We believe in better movement for a better life.
Occupational Therapy is the use of treatments to develop, recover or maintain the daily living and work skills of people with physical, mental or developmental conditions. Treatment focuses on adapting the environment, modifying the task, teaching the skill, and educating the patient/family in order to increase participation in and performance of daily activities. Occupational Therapists (OTs) evaluate and treat people with physical, cognitive, memory, sensory, visual, motor and/or psychological disabilities, striving to maximize functional outcomes and safety awareness.
Our occupational therapist works closely with hand surgeons to assist you in recovering after a hand injury or surgery. We also offer custom-made splints, bracing and activity modification. Hands are a very important part of our function and we work closely with you to help maximize the use of your hands.
Learn more about our Orthopaedic services »
Key services
- Acute care
- Balance therapy
- Cognitive therapy
- Driver safety assessment
- Fall prevention
- Hand therapy
- Kinesiotaping
- Lymphedema therapy
- Manual therapy
- Splint fabrication
Meet our therapists
Northwestern Occupational Therapy Providers
Services defined
Acute Care – Therapy provided to the patient while in the hospital setting and may be education/instruction in adaptive equipment, home set-up and safety awareness, self care, and/or cognitive therapy.
Cognitive Therapy – Provides interventions to address cognitive impairments to maximize independence and development of skills to enable people to participate in meaningful daily activities.
Driver Safety Assessments – Performed by our occupational therapists and offer a comprehensive driving evaluation consisting of two parts: one part in the clinic and the second part behind the wheel of a car. The purpose of the clinic evaluation is to examine the physical, visual, and mental abilities required for safe driving.
Falls Clinic and Balance Therapy – Offers comprehensive evaluations by a physical and occupational therapist to help reduce the risk of falls and also to prevent falls.
Functional Capacity Evaluation – Also known as Work Hardening or Conditioning, this is a program tailored to the needs of an employee allowing them to get back to work quickly after an injury. Work rehabilitation/conditioning is for patients that are unable to perform all their essential work duties and/or are out of work. The frequency of work rehab is dependent on the individual and varies from 1-4 hrs/day up to 5 days/week. In some cases, an individual might attend up to 20 hrs/week of work rehabilitation so we can assist with getting them back to full duty.
Hand Therapy – Performed by an occupational therapist or physical therapist with focus on treating orthopaedic-based upper-extremity conditions.
Kinesiotaping – A rehab taping technique that is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting range of motion.
Lymphedema Therapy – Helps maximize recirculation of fluid and reduce the risk of infection associated with fluid build-up or retention in soft body tissues.
Manual Therapy – Delivered with the hands, putting pressure on muscle tissue and manipulating joints to decrease pain caused by muscle spasm, muscle tension and joint dysfunction.
Splint Fabrication – Can provide you with a splint that maximizes your function, and our occupational therapists offer a wide variety of splint techniques.
