Doctor’s office in Genova
EVERYDAY ON APPOINTMENT
Via Fereggiano 89/6
16144 Genova
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Ph. +39 3403485709
Manual Therapy Specialist
Hand Rehabilitation Specialist
Dr. Assunta Riva – Physiotherapist
Dr. Assunta Riva graduated in Physiotherapy with honours from the University of Genova in 2011 and in Biology from the ‘Politecnica delle Marche’ University in 2007. She is a certified Hand Rehabilitation and Manual Therapy specialist.
She held a research fellowship in Rehabilitation Robotics at the G. Gaslini Hospital in Genova in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) carrying out part of her research work at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), Illinois, USA. She served as physiotherapist to the Santander Racing Team – a Spanish first division football team – as well as at Valdencilla Hospital, Santander, Spain.
She served as physiotherapist for Team Flite Extreme, 2012 Enduro Extreme world champions and for first division water polo team, Rari Nantes Bogliasco.
She is constantly involved in scientific research and updated training programs, attending numerous congresses, National and International courses and collaborates in writing scientific articles. She is a member of the Italian Association of Physiotherapists (AIFI) and of the Italian Hand Rehabilitation Association (A.I.R.M.) and is a full member of the International Society for Sport Traumatology of the Hand (ISSPORTH).
She does private practice work at three Physiotherapy studios, two in Genova and one in Pietrasanta (LU), collaborating with many orthopaedic and hand surgeons.
Manual Therapy
Internationally-recognized, manual therapy is a system of prevention, evaluation and treatment of disorders affecting the neuro-musculoskeletal system using the hands, and also includes osteopathy.
Hand Rehabilitation
Conservative and/or post-surgical hand rehabilitation treatments of fractures, nerve injuries and hand disorders, including the use of custom made, bespoke splints.
Athletes, Artists and Musicians?
Specific treatments to optimize performance and prevent overuse and misuse syndromes typical in people who engage in professional sports and arts and are subject to upper limb disorders and repetitive strain injuries.
Splints
Splints (also known as orthoses or external orthopaedic appliances) are rehabilitation devices used successfully in the treatment of numerous hand disorders both in conservative and post-surgical cases, by applying static or dynamic force to limbs and extremities.
They are custom-made directly on the patient’s hand, fabricated using thermoplastic material that can be remoulded, based on the way the disorder progresses and according to rehabilitation protocol.
Unlike conventional immobilization methods, like casts or standard, ready-made splints, custom fabricated splints offer considerable advantages in that they are light, easily removable and washable and above all perfectly adaptable to small hand joints in line with the specific characteristics of each individual patient.
Splints can be static, with no moving parts, to support and immobilize joints, or dynamic, with moving parts, favouring recovery time and allowing functional use of the hand.
The main objectives for using splints:
- protect and rest one or more joints during acute inflammatory periods
- immobilize injured tissues during healing processes (fractures, sprains, subluxations)
- protect tendon and/or nerve repairs
- prevent and correct articular deformities in degenerative conditions (arthrosis, arthritis)
- avoid undesired movement
- compensate for the loss of muscular strength
- maintain and/or increase active or passive movements
- restore functionality to damaged joints
