As rehabilitation of tendon injuries evolves, special consideration must be taken to ensure that the therapist is mindful of current trends as well as physician preference as they customize the orthosis to fit each individual and unique hand. The goal of this comprehensive 4-hour virtual course is to develop an understanding of the current trends in upper extremity tendon rehabilitation as well as to be able to describe basic principles of orthotic fabrication for this unique population.The course will integrate both physician and therapist perspectives when it comes to managing these complex conditions.
More specifically, the course covers surgical considerations for flexor and extensor tendon repairs as well as considerations for WALANT procedures presented by some of the most renowned hand surgeons at NYU. In addition, a lecture by nationally and internationally recognized musculoskeletal radiologist will help shed light on how diagnostic ultrasound may play a role both preoperatively and post-operatively. The course also the therapist’s in depth perspective on the rehabilitation of flexor and extensor tendon repairs and expands upon specific clinical pearls for orthotic fabrication when it comes to these injuries.
Participants will be required to complete a post-test following the course.
Course Format / Type
On-demand/Self-Study
Educational Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, the participant will be able to:
• Identify and discuss current trends in upper extremity tendon surgery and rehabilitation
• Discuss the purpose and rationale for orthotic application for both flexor and extensor tendon injuries
• Explain theoretical principles of orthotic fabrication as well as the appropriate use of a variety of materials
Agenda
Current Trends in Flexor Tendon Repairs: A Surgical Perspective
Nader Paksima, MD
WALANT Surgery for Flexor Tendon Repairs
Jacques Hacquebord, MD
Current Trends in Flexor Tendon Rehabilitation
April O'Connell, OT/L, CHT
Current Trends in Extensor Tendon Repairs: A Surgical Perspective (including EPL repairs)
Omri Ayalon, MD
Considerations in Extensor Tendon Rehabilitation
Eugene Gersh, OTR/L, CHT
Diagnostic Ultrasound in Tendon Repairs: When and How
Ronald Adler, MD
Essential of Orthotic Fabrication
Erika Schnaps, OTR/L, CHT
SPEAKER BIOS
Ronald Adler, MD
Dr. Adler is a nationally and internationally recognized musculoskeletal radiologist with 30 years of experience performing musculoskeletal ultrasound. He is currently a professor of Radiology at the NYU Langone Medical Center, having previously developed musculoskeletal ultrasound programs at the University of Michigan, the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, and currently at NYU. His primary research interests have included ultrasound guided interventions and applications of blood flow imaging, assessment of soft tissue mechanical properties to evaluate bone-tendon healing, and skeletal muscle. He has been the principal author or co-authored 200 papers and 26 book chapters.
Omri Ayalon, MD
Dr. Ayalon is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. He received his orthopedic and specialty training at NYU and is currently the Associate Director for the Hand Surgery Fellowship at NYU. He specializes in hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder surgery, with a focus on nerve surgery, reconstructive procedures, and trauma. Additionally, he is co-director of the Center for Amputation Reconstruction and is involved in researching the outcomes of traumatic injuries to the hand and wrist.
Eugene Gersh, OTR/L, CHT
Eugene Gersh is a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) and Assistant Unit Supervisor at NYU Langone Health specializing in the treatment of hand and upper extremity injuries. He completed a residency program in hand therapy at the University of Michigan in 2015 and a mentorship program at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. Eugene has presented nationally on the topic of hand and upper extremity rehabilitation as well as hand transplantation. He has lectured on several occasions at NYU's annual splinting courses as well as NYU’s annual collaborative hand conference with both therapists and physicians in attendance. Additionally, Eugene acts as a lab instructor on the topic of orthotic fabrication at Columbia University.
Jacques Henri Hacquebord, MD
Dr. Hacquebord is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic and Plastic Surgery at NYU. He completed his residency at the University of Washington and fellowship with Neil F. Jones at the University of California Irvine. Following this, he did additional training in China and India in reconstructive microsurgery, brachial plexus, and limb reconstruction. He is currently co-director of NYU Langone’s Center for Amputation Reconstruction as well as the assistant research director for NYU Langone’s Division of Hand Surgery. His passions at work are treating patients with the toughest limb reconstruction cases. His passions outside of work are the two wonderful women in his life - his wife Siri and daughter Amélie, and his little Lausbub son - Etienne.
April O’Connell, OT/L, CHT
April O'Connell studied Occupational Therapy at Boston University and trained under former ASSH president, Dr. Dennis Phelps. Ms. O’Connell moved to NYC and joined NYU Langone Orthopedic Center as a clinical specialist in 2009. She has presented at ASSH, AAHS, and ASHT on a variety of topics including tendon injuries and rehabilitation. Ms. O’Connell has appeared on NYU’s Dr. Radio speaking on various hand therapy topics and is one of the founding members of Pitch Smart and the Golf Lab at NYU. Additionally, she has co-authored a chapter on the topic of flexor tendons in the 4th Edition of Test Prep for the CHT Exam. April currently resides in California and works at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she continues to be involved in a variety of research endeavours, speaking engagements, and publications in the field of hand therapy.
Nader Paksima, DO, MPH
Dr. Paksima is Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Associate Chief of the Hand and Upper Extremity Division at NYU Langone Orthopedic Department. He received his medical degree from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Masters of Public Health at Harvard University, did his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Ohio University in Dayton, Ohio and completed fellowship training in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases Program. He is former Chairman of the Orthopedic Surgery Department at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and has been an active member of the staff at Jamaica Hospital and NYU Orthopedic Program since 1998 where he teaches residents and fellows and practices Orthopedic Surgery, Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery.
Erika Schnaps, OTR/L, CHT
Erika is a senior II level Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) at NYU Langone Health. She completed a fellowship in hand therapy at Hospital for Special Surgery and specializes in treating patients with a variety of orthopedic diagnoses of the upper extremity. She received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Occupational Therapy and Neuroscience as well as her Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. Erika has lectured on several occasions at both NYU’s annual splinting course and hand surgery update. She is the hand therapy department’s senior clinical instructor and plays an active role as a splinting lab instructor for level II Occupational Therapy fieldwork students.
Course Director
Laura Welsh, OT/L, CHT
Content Planners
Eugene Gersh, OTR/L, CHT
James Koo, PT, DPT
Guest Speaker
April O’Connell, OT/L, CHT
Senior Occupational Therapist
Cedars-Sinai
Los Angeles, California
NYU Langone Health Faculty
Ronald Adler, MD
Omri Ayalon, MD
Eugene Gersh, OTR/L, CHT
Jacques Hacquebord, MD
Jamie Nguyen, OTR/L, CHT
Nader Paksima, MD
Natalia Ruiz, PT, CHT
Erika Schnaps, OTR/L, CHT
Monica Seu, OTR/L, CHT
Program Coordinator
Krystal Pearce, MBA
Senior Program Coordinator
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Email: Krystal.Pearce@nyulangone.org
Accreditation & Credit Designation
Occupational Therapy
NYU Langone Health is an American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) approved provider for occupational therapy practitioners. This course is approved for a maximum of 3.0 occupational therapy contact hours. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
Level: Intermediate
Physical Therapy
NYU Langone Health is a New York State Education Department approved provider for physical therapy and physical therapy assistant continuing education. This course is approved for a maximum of 3.0 physical therapy/physical therapy assistant contact hours. The following states require continuing education units with no state-specific approval: CT, IA, ID, MO, ND, and WA.
Refund Policy
In order to request a refund you must email Krystal.Pearce@nyulangone.org.
Course Cancellation Policy
If a live course is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, or any other reason, Rusk Rehabilitation will refund registration fees in full. Rusk Rehabilitation will provide at least two weeks’ advance notice if cancelling due to insufficient enrollment and as soon as possible in all other circumstances. Rusk Rehabilitation is not responsible for any other costs incurred by the registrant.
In the unlikely event that a recorded course is cancelled/not available on demand for the specified period as advertised, the registration fee will be refunded in full.