Hamish Anderson is an Accredited Hand Therapist as awarded by the Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA), with more than 20 years’ experience specialising in treating the upper limb. Hamish provides specialised rehab programs and expert advice to help people from all walks of life recover from injuries, chronic pain and debilitating conditions.
Hamish Anderson graduated from La Trobe University with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 1995. After graduating, he moved to the USA and worked in New York City, where over the next five years he developed his focus on managing hand injuries. In 2001, Hamish became a Certified Hand Therapist.
Returning to Australia in 2002, Hamish founded his own private hand therapy practice in Melbourne. He was also still working in the public hospital system, becoming the senior hand therapy clinician at St. Vincent’s Hospital. After taking a sabbatical in 2012 to travel around Australia with his family, Hamish resumed his private practice and now works from three clinics in Melbourne’s central and eastern suburbs.
In 2017, Hamish achieved full accreditation as recognised by the Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA). Hamish is currently the Immediate Past President of the AHTA.
Hamish has a special interest in sports medicine and complex wrist trauma, and has presented on both at a national and international level. He has worked directly with Hawthorn Football Club as their hand therapist since 2013, and regularly consults with Tennis Australia and other professional sporting bodies.
He is a co-author of two chapters on hand and wrist injury in the ‘tour de force’ of sport and exercise medicine, Brukner and Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine (5th ed., Vol. 1). In addition to being a co-author, Hamish is an active researcher with several published papers in well-respected surgical and rehabilitation journals.
Anderson Hand Therapy can help you get back to your best whether you’ve recently had surgery or suffered an injury on the sporting field, at work, or at home. We can evaluate and treat almost any condition affecting your upper limb.
We also work closely with some of Melbourne’s best hand surgeons to develop custom rehabilitation programs for many common surgeries and diagnoses.
Splints are a cornerstone of our treatments. They are made from thermoplastic or neoprene and are custom fitted to ensure optimal comfort and support. Splints help you to rest an inflamed joint, or enable healing of a fracture or sprain. They also protect injuries against further damage on the playing field or at work.
Movement is essential to fully repair your joints after injury. Once we are confident your joint is ready to move, we’ll provide tailored exercise programs for increasing movement and/or strength. Your program will be adjusted after each visit as required.
We offer a variety of scar management treatments including silicone gel, pressure garments, cross-friction treatments, and stretches. These are all important but require timing and precision to be effective — we can help you with this.
We are experienced in removing stitches and managing open or sutured wounds. Proper care of wounds is critical to helping prevent infection and enabling healing.
Controlling swelling is vital to ensuring you can perform your daily activities as normally as possible. Treatments for swelling control such as compression garments, wraps, and massage are important after surgery or minor hand trauma.
We can help with desensitisation of overly painful injuries, acute or chronic pain management, and sensory re-education.
We follow a thorough consultation process with all patients to ensure we understand your individual needs. Your first visit will involve plenty of conversation, because we know that in order to get well again, first you need to understand your condition and its implications.
All treatments are tailored to your requirements. This could involve creating a splint, or braces to support and protect your hands, or performing soft tissue work. Whatever your injury requires, rest assured you will receive appropriate and carefully considered solutions.
At the end of your session, you’ll have a clear picture of what to expect next, backed up by a treatment plan that you can easily follow to start getting better.
As every person is unique, so are their hand injuries. Some cases can be quickly understood in the treatment room while others require further observation to get
a clear picture.
Active consultation means we aren’t afraid to venture beyond the treatment room if required to understand your specific case. Because when we understand how you use your upper limbs in your daily life, we can provide better treatments and advice to help you overcome your injury.
We have performed consultations on the football field, in the home, at the climbing wall, and in the workplace for people with a broad range of injuries.
Hand therapists are occupational therapists or physiotherapists who specialise in the management of hand and upper limb injuries. We have extensive knowledge of how best to help you with the rehabilitation of your hand, wrist, elbow and/or shoulder problem. This specialisation gives us an understanding of upper limb anatomy, pathology, and treatment that general practitioners and all-round health professionals simply cannot provide.
Follow the links below to some of our professional associates and explore trusted resources and advice on hand therapy.
Brukner & Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine
Brukner and Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine is the world-leading title in sport and exercise medicine. This is a comprehensive guide to physiotherapy and musculoskeletal medicine and a great resource for clinicians and students. Hamish co-authored two chapters with hand and upper limb surgeon Mr. Greg Hoy on wrist and hand injury.
American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT)
The American Society of Hand Therapists is a professional organisation of licensed occupational and physical therapists dedicated to advancing the field of hand and upper limb therapy through education, advocacy, research and clinical standards.
Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC)
The Hand Therapy Certification Commission provides an internationally recognised certification to the most experienced and knowledgeable hand therapists. A Certified Hand Therapist (CHT) must have a minimum five years’ clinical experience, including 4,000 hours or more in direct practice in hand therapy. Skills testing and continuing professional development are also required to achieve certification.
Hawthorn Football Club broke new ground in more ways than one during the AFL club’s historic 2013–2015 triple premiership run. On top of famous win streaks on the field, off it, the club also became the first AFL team to employ a dedicated hand therapist. Hamish has worked regularly with Hawthorn FC since 2013.
The Melbourne Orthopaedic Group comprises 14 highly experienced orthopaedic and sports medicine surgeons who offer a comprehensive sports injury and orthopaedic service.
Australian Hand Therapy Association (AHTA)
The AHTA is Australia’s national peak body for hand therapists. It provides support for its members through continuing education, accreditation, professional development, networking and representation at state and national levels. You can also use the member directory to find AHTA-accredited hand therapists in your local area.
Action Rehab treats only the upper limbs (your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands, including your fingers and thumbs). If you’ve injured or are experiencing pain, discomfort, or limited movement with your upper limbs, anywhere from your fingers to your shoulders, you’ve come to the right place.
Balwyn Sports and Physiotherapy Centre
Balwyn Sports and Physiotherapy Centre is one of our four hand therapy clinic locations in Melbourne. The clinic has a multidisciplinary team of experts including physiotherapists, hand therapists (hello!), podiatrists, myotherapists and remedial massage therapists.
Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic
Head to the Glenferrie Sports and Spinal Clinic (inside Hawthorn Aquatic Centre) for all your hand therapy and physiotherapy needs in Hawthorn. You’ll find Hamish here as the resident hand therapist, along with expert physios, podiatrists, remedial massage therapists and Chinese medicine doctors.
Hamish no longer consults from Northside Boulders but he still has a strong interest in treating rock climbing injuries. Northside is home base for avid rock climbers and lovers of great tunes and tasty coffee.
Olympic Park Spots Medicine Centre
OPSMC is Australia’s largest multi-disciplinary sport and exercise medicine clinic. Hamish is one of team of sports professionals providing evidence based care to over 15,000 individuals a year! That’s a lot of fingers!
