My right hand was severely damaged by a single blunt force trauma, from approximately 300 pounds of steel. Multiple metal food carts were stacked together and pushed by a store employee, carelessly into the back of my hand, in August 2018.
In March 2019, I finally was fortunate enough to get a medical referral for six initial visits to Washington Hand Therapy, Northgate. The medical staff who are treating me are really knowledgeable about hand injuries. Dr. Natalie Allen OTR/L, OTD, Clinic Director, is experienced in providing quality patient care using evidence-based practice. She uses up-to-date research and closely works with my Bellevue-based Surgeon, Dr. Thomas Trumble.
Dr. Allen's areas of specialization include neurological rehabilitation, sports injuries, kinesiology, nerve regeneration, and pediatrics. She carefully reads medical records, asks focused questions and finds out background information about the patient to help her make treatment assessments.
I was provided with specialized medical care using heat, cold, ultrasound, TENS, massage, specialized daily exercises, measurement of extent of injuries, splinting, feedback and taping. Dr. Allen has traveled extensively, using her medical skills, to help patients worldwide and has helped me to much better understand the extent of my hand injuries to nerves, surrounding muscles, ligaments and how the body reacted to the type of injuries I sustained. Dr. Allen applies her extensive occupational and hand therapy in a focused manner, listening carefully to patient's feedback and symptoms during recovery sessions. She conveyed to me how my decades-long sleep disorder was prolonging my recovery period. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to utilize Washington Hand Therapy, in a large, well-organized treatment center, in close proximity to other patients with similar limb injuries. This is an excellent recovery strategy to allow patients to see that they are not alone in their progress of rehabilitation. Thank you so much! read more