North Fulton Regional Hospital Hand Therapist Missy Thurlow

     As a young child, Missy Thurlow and her twin sister had their own language, a way of communicating with each other that others could not understand.  Fearful that their children would not develop proper speech skills, the twins’ parents sent them to speech therapy, a routine that continued for several years.  Now grown, Thurlow’s sister works as a speech therapist while Missy dedicates her time to hand therapy at North Fulton Regional Hospital.

     “I’m not sure if all of the time we spent in therapy as children had anything to do with our professions now,” Thurlow said, “but I have always been interested in helping others.  Even in the seventh grade, people with disabilities always interested me.”

     For 26 years Thurlow has been an occupational therapist with 22 of those years dedicated specifically to hand therapy.  Now the lead hand therapist for North Fulton Regional Hospital’s Rehabilitation Services, she provides extensive expertise in a variety of treatment options for various post-surgical and degenerative disorders of the hands including arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.  Some of the therapies Thurlow provides include various stretching techniques, manual therapy, occupational therapy activities for everyday living and the whirlpool.

     Thurlow commonly treats patients with fractures, both of the wrist and in the hands.  For these patients, a process called fluidotherapy proves to be particularly beneficial.  This process involves the patient inserting his or her hand into a protective sleeve inside of a canister filled with Cellex particles, or ground corn-cob material.  When the fluidotherapy machine is activated, the motor and blower cause the Cellex to move about the canister, creating warmth.  The warmth desensitizes the broken bones while the movement of the Cellex causes the hand to move.

     “This treatment is essentially a dry whirlpool,” Thurlow said.  “It is heat therapy without anything coming in contact with the hand.”

     Ann Clawson, Assistant Director of Rehabilitation Services at North Fulton Regional Hospital, has confidence in the hand therapy services at the hospital.  “Compared to some other programs, ours is smaller, more intimate.  Patients truly get that one-on-one experience they deserve.”  She also praises Thurlow for her “extensive training” and the fact that “lots of doctors know her.  She is well respected in the medical community.”

     For Thurlow, there is nothing else she would rather be doing.  “This [hand therapy] is my thing,” she said.  “If I stopped, I would miss it way too much.” 

     While stopping does not seem to be in the cards, expanding might be.  In addition to all of her medical training and degrees, Thurlow also holds her Masters in Business Administration.

      “I always wanted to go into management and have my own therapy practice,” Thurlow said.  “Maybe someday I’ll open up a therapy shack on the beach!”

     To learn more about hand therapy and other Rehabilitation Services at North Fulton Regional Hospital, visit www.northfultonregional.com/rehab, or call us at 770-751-2630.