Shelli was born for this work. Her point of view comes from four professions: occupational therapy, hand therapy, structural integration, and ergonomics. After 35 years of working with all types of patients/clients, she has developed a unique perspective and treatment approach to rehabilitation: The Lucas Method for helping people defeat pain and regain their life.
Occupational therapy was a perfect fit: helping an individual become independent with daily work and leisure activities.
OT is a science-driven and evidence-based rehabilitation therapy that looks at a person in a holistic way. The profession of occupational therapy is over 105 years old and set the ground work for many other professions today: physical therapy, speech therapy, and ergonomics. OT looks at a person in a holistic way, using functional activities and exercise to allow an individual to return to the highest level of function after illness or injury. Occupational therapy offers the 'skills for the job of living'.
And it only seemed natural for her to sit for the very first hand therapy certification exam in 1991, because without our hands, how do we function?
Hand therapy is the art and science of rehabilitation of the upper limb, which includes the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder girdle. It is a specialty practice area of occupational and physical therapy that combines comprehensive knowledge of the structure of the upper limb with function and activity. Using specialized skills in assessment, planning and treatment, hand therapists provide therapeutic interventions to prevent dysfunction, restore function and/or reverse the progression of pathology of the upper limb in order to ehnhand
But what did Shelli notice when working with her clients? The treatment could not be limited to just the injured 'body part'-it was the whole structure- the whole person- who needed to be cared for.
Structural Integration, an alternative medicine treatment developed by Dr. Ida Rolf during the late 1950's. She focused on the manipulation of fascia (connective tissue), to allow each segment of the body to shift into balance, like a stack of blocks. She applied functional biomechanical and kinesiological analysis to effect the change in a client's structure. In addition, she found that re-education of the movement patterns would allow permanent change in the body. Thus a person will stand straighter, move easier, and have less pain.
Combining each the treatment approaches wasn't enough for full rehabilitation. She worked with each client to discover and modify the activity or activities that were causing-or exacerbating- her client's pain.
Ergonomics is the science of fitting the task to the person. She is able to look at someone with the eye of a therapist, understanding the anatomy and postural implications of preventing soft tissue injuries from worsening. Shelli uses critical thinking for problem solving and innovation with environmental and equipment modifications while being cost effective. She understands how poor work environment design or avocational activities can prevent the injured person from full rehabilitation.
