How to Take Care of Your Hands: Interview with Corinne McLees, Occupational Therapist

Speaker bios:

Corinne McLees is passionate about helping individuals maximize the function of their upper extremities, as she believes the hands are imperative to doing the things we love most. She graduated from VCU's Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2016 and immediately began working in VCU Heath's hand therapy clinic. Corinne and her OT husband launched My Virtual OT - a 100% virtual occupational therapy practice - in order to safely serve clients amidst COVID-19. She has two small children and one on the way, and she and her husband have greatly enjoyed launching this business together.

Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. She helps others with rheumatoid arthritis determine how to live a full life *despite* arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare she say) FUN patient education and self-management resources. 

Medical disclaimer: All content found on Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

• Links to things discussed in this episode:
  • What is Occupational Therapy?
  • Homonculus - sensory and motor
  • My Virtual OT website  
  • My Virtual OT Youtube Channel  
  • Corinne’s Virtual OT Instagram
  • Free Handout: Cheryl’s Master Checklist for Managing RA
  • Cheryl’s Facebook group: Arthritis Life Podcast, Practical Tips & Positive, Realistic Support
  • This episode is brought to you by the Rheumatoid Arthritis Roadmap, an intensive online education and support program Cheryl created to empower people with the tools to confidently manage their social, emotional and physical life with rheumatoid arthritis.

Episode breakdown:

01:00 – Corinne’s explanation of what Occupational Therapy is

05:00 – Educating clients about hand therapy

07:00 – The brain interprets our hands as disproportionately important given their size; discussion of the homonculus 

10:00 – How pain affects daily activities

12:42 – Principles of joint protect while living with chronic hand pain

13:00 – How posture alignment awareness protects joints

19:25 – Overuse of exercises, fatigue, and flares 

25:05 – How to better understand human behavior to support behavior change

30:15- Corinne explains what happens during a virtual occupational therapy visit for patients with RA

33:00 – The importance of distinguishing between different tyes of pain

41:10 – How support groups can help keep you accountable 

45:15-  Additional OT treatments: heat and cold, splinting and joint protection