Georgia Hand & Upper Extremity Special Interest Group

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Georgia Hand & Upper Extremity Special Interest Group

Providing education and networking opportunities for therapists to enhance their practice of rehabilitation of the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

The Georgia Hand & Upper Extremity Special Interest Group (GHUESIG) provides educational and networking opportunities for therapists to enhance their practice of rehabilitation of the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder. For over 20 years, we have served as a trusted resource for occupational therapists, physical therapists, certified occupational therapist assistants and physical therapist assistan

ts. Our goal is to improve our members’ knowledge base for delivering care to patients with all conditions related to the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder. We update this website frequently with the latest news, events, and happenings regarding hand therapy in the state of Georgia. Come back often for the most up-to-date information. Click here to learn about the special advantages of becoming a member of GHUESIG. And contact us with your ideas, questions and suggestions — participation is the key to success in building our community of excellence.

04/20/2026

Ride Share Post!

Looking to carpool to the 2026 Annual GHUESIG Conference in Helen, GA? Use the comment section in this post to connect with other conference attendees and organize a ride share!

GHUESIG is not liable for any agreements, exchanges or transactions.

04/17/2026

✨Speaker Spotlight✨

Mike Mueller OTR, CHT is a staff hand therapist at Rothman Orthopaedics in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has over 30 years of experience in upper extremity rehabilitation in a variety of settings. He is an occupational therapist, certified hand therapist and an exercise scientist with extensive experience utilizing the kinetic chain approach and its application to upper extremity rehabilitation and performance. He has a special area of interest in the management of the athlete’s upper extremity injuries and has extensive experience with athletes from the youth to the professional levels. Mike has presented multiple topics at state, national and international conferences. He is a member of The American Society of Hand Therapists, American Occupational Therapy Association, American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, and American Baseball Biomechanics Society.

Mike will be presenting on Saturday, April 25th at our Annual Conference! Don't miss it!

Title: Tying it All Together – Kinetic Chain Approach to Maximize Upper Extremity Outcomes
Description: The kinetic chain is a classification system that refers to the interrelated parts of the body and how they work together to perform movement. The concept is that during complex movements, the parts of the body act as a system of chain links, whereby energy or force generated by one link can be transferred to the next link. This session will cover how to utilize the kinetic chain approach from evaluation to returning patients to their highest level of functional recovery.
Learning Objectives: At the end of the presentation, participants will:
o Describe a kinetic chain evaluation to direct upper extremity rehabilitation for the injured patient.
o Discuss functional lower extremity/upper extremity integrated assessments to maximize patient outcomes.
o Describe movement assessments to determine pelvic, thoracic and scapulae integrative postures related to upper extremity performance.
o Identify findings to develop rehabilitation programs to optimize upper extremity performance utilizing the entire body

04/15/2026

✨Speaker Spotlights✨

Kendra Noel MOTR/L has been an OT for 20 years, beginning her career working in acute care and inpatient rehab in Washington DC, primarily working with spinal cord injured patients. She transitioned to pediatrics 15 years ago and has been working in an outpatient pediatric hand therapy setting at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for the past 12 years. She also has been working PRN in adult hand therapy at the Hand and Upper Extremity Center of Georgia since 2019. Kendra has a passion for working with pediatric congenital anomalies, creating low tech equipment to help children maximize function and helping to educate OT fellows and students in pediatric hand therapy. When not at work, Kendra enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling with her husband and three children.

Elisa Hardin, OTR/L,CHT works as an occupational therapist at the Hand and Upper Extremity Center of Georgia. She has been in practice as an occupational therapist for 19 years and a CHT for 14 years. She started her career at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and has maintained a love of working with the pediatric population. She feels privileged to work with patients across the lifespan and to collaborate with physicians and fellow hand therapists to help patients achieve their functional goals. Elisa also has a strong interest in clinical education and mentorship. Outside of the clinic, Elisa enjoys spending time with her family, being active, and reading.

Kendra and Elisa will be presenting at our Annual Conference on Saturday, April 25th!
Title: "Pediatric hand therapy: Current trends and practical applications"
Objectives:
-provide treatment and splinting education for pediatric specific hand and upper extremity diagnoses
-review updates on current trends in pediatrics hand therapy including info on equipment, splint options and tips and tricks to improve outcomes with the pediatric population

04/13/2026

✨Speaker Spotlight✨

Bryan J. Sirmon, MD is a trusted leader in chronic bone and joint conditions, and acute injuries as well.
After completing his undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences from Auburn University in Eastern Alabama, Dr. Sirmon soon earned his doctorate in medicine from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.
Dr. Sirmon went on to finish his orthopaedic surgery internship and residency through Emory University in Atlanta, where he was elected chief resident. To further his expertise, Dr. Sirmon then completed a fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at the Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center. During his training, Dr. Sirmon was honored by the American Orthopaedic Association as an Emerging Leader in Orthopaedics.
Dr. Sirmon currently holds professional society memberships with the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Georgia Orthopaedic Society, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the American Association for Hand Surgery.

Dr. Sirmon will be presenting “How I Think About the Psychosocial Aspects of Treating the Injured Patient" and “Extensor Tendon Repair Techniques: The Past, the Present and the Future” at our Annual Conference.

04/10/2026

We are 2 WEEKS away from our 2026 Annual Conference!

Check out these fun things to do in Helen and the surrounding area before or after the conference!

Anna Ruby Falls - a family friendly hike to a stunning, rare double waterfall located in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
- Dahlonega's only underground gold mine tour
- the first and only mountain coaster in the state
- tour a Renaissance castle like no other

Check out helenga.org for more exciting things to do!

04/08/2026

✨Speaker Spotlight✨

Alison Taylor, OTR/L, CHT, CKTI works as a Certified Hand Therapist at BSW Institute for Rehabiliation at the "STAR"in Frisco Texas.
Alison is a graduate of Sydney University in 1990, is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) recognized for her contributions to hand therapy. Since earning her CHT in 2001, she has shared her expertise at numerous conferences across the U.S. and internationally, including a keynote address at the 2023 Asia Pacific Hand Surgery and Therapy Conference in Singapore.
Alison's teaching experience spans eight countries and includes a hybrid online lecture series. She became a Kinesio Taping Instructor in 2011 and started developing her pain-free treatment approach in 2016.
She has published journal articles on pain and scar management, as well as nerve compression in athletes. Recently, she completed a book chapter on her pain-free treatment concepts for hand therapy and launched a book focused on providing exceptional patient care.

You'll want a front row seat for Alison's talk, “Using Alternative Approaches of Treating Pain, ROM Issues and Dysfunctional Movements” at our Annual Conference!

04/06/2026

✨Speaker Spotlight✨

Jeanine Beasley, EdD, OTRL, CHT, FAOTA is a retired, now adjunct full professor at Grand Valley State University’s Occupational Science and Therapy Department in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is a frequent guest lecturer and has spoken in 19 states and 7 countries. She has authored or co-authored several book chapters and journal articles many dealing with Arthritis and Orthotics. She is currently publishing and completing research on dexterity. Awards include: 2018 GVSU Niemeyer Award for excellence in teaching, 2017 Honored Professor at the Philadelphia Hand Meeting, and in 2012 she became a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Don't miss Jeanine at our Annual Conference with two exciting topics!

Title: “Don’t let it Lag: Update on Extensor Tendon Rehabilitation”
This course provides an update on the therapeutic management of extensor tendon injuries and conditions in zones I -V including, anatomy, biomechanics, specific orthoses, and evidence-based rehabilitation.

Title: “Update on the Arthritic Hand: Research to Rehabilitation”
The course will provide evidence-based interventions for treating the arthritic hand with specific deformities, including joint protection, orthoses, specific exercises, and pain management.

04/05/2026

Wishing our dedicated community a bright and hopeful Easter! 🐣 As we celebrate renewal and the promise of new beginnings, we are grateful for your support in planting seeds of knowledge and growing brighter futures. May your day be filled with joy, learning, and fresh inspiration! 🌷

04/03/2026

✨Speaker Spotlight✨

Ben Puckett, MD Dr. Benjamin Puckett is a provider with Specialty Orthopaedics who specializes in Orthopedic Surgery. He earned his medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine. Dr. Puckett is board certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and Surgery of the Hand and completed his fellowship at University of California San Diego Health.

Dr. Puckett will be speaking at our Annual Conference on “A Real Pain: The Pathology of the Ulnar Side of the Wrist.”

04/01/2026

Happy Occupational Therapy Month to all of our fellow OTs!

Make sure to check out AOTA's website for ways to celebrate all month long!
https://www.aota.org/events/calendar/ot-month

03/30/2026

✨Speaker Spotlight✨

Ann Porretto-Loehrke, PT, DPT, CHT, COMT, CMTPT graduated from Marquette University in 1994 with a BS in Physical Therapy. She became a Certified Hand Therapist in 2002 and completed the IAOM-US certification for the upper quadrant in 2003.
In 2007, Ann completed her DPT degree with a specialty in hand and upper quarter rehabilitation from Drexel University in Philadelphia. She also became certified in dry needling in 2015. Ann is the Clinical Development Coordinator at the Hand to Shoulder Center of Wisconsin, located in Appleton, Wisconsin. She is one of the creators of the Hand and Upper Extremity Track through IAOM and recently retired as a lead instructor.
Ann has co-authored a chapter in Rehabilitation of the Hand & Upper Extremity on nerve compression syndromes of the elbow and forearm, as well as published two peer-reviewed articles entitled “Clinical Manual Assessment of the Wrist” and “Taping Techniques for the Wrist” in the 2016 Journal of Hand Therapy’s special edition of the wrist.
Ann serves as the planning committee chair for the Wisconsin Hand Experience conference and has presented at American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) annual conferences, Canadian Society of Hand Therapist Annual Conference, Philadelphia meeting, and Teton Hand Conferences.

Ann will be delivering two fabulous talks at our Annual Conference that you won't want to miss!

Title: “Cervical Spine and Thoracic Outlet Screening”
Sharpen your skills with ruling out proximal involvement in your hand therapy patient! Join Ann Porretto-Loehrke as she walks through the proximal screening exam to gain a better understanding when there’s something going on upstream!

Title: “Clinical Manual Assessment of the Wrist”
Struggling with patients who present with vague wrist pain? Join Ann Porretto-Loehrke as she guides you through a systematic method for evaluating wrist pain to confidently pinpoint the structure involved!

03/27/2026

We are ONE MONTH away from the 2026 GHUESIG Annual Conference and we want to extend a big THANK YOU to our sponsors!

Make sure to check out these wonderful companies online and during our conference!
North Coast Medical

Peachtree Orthopedics
Performance Health
Thuasne Sport

BraceLab

Address

Atlanta, GA

Website

http://www.ghuesig.com/

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