About Karen

My name is Karen Schultz.  I have been working in hand therapy for 43 years. After graduating with a design degree from UCLA, I went on to earn my masters in Occupational Therapy from California State University, San Jose.  I worked for many years in Southern California, initially as a hospital based therapist.  Subsequently I opened my own private practice, Los Angeles Hand Rehabilitation.  I became a Certified Hand Therapist in 1991 with the first cadre of therapists to achieve this designation.  
When I moved to the mountains of Colorado,  I continued in private practice as Rocky Mountain Hand Therapy. After 25 years in the mountains, I have moved to Denver to expand my impact on the hand therapy community. KSHULS, which, to my delight, nearly mirrors my name, is my way of sharing my experience and expertise with therapists around the world. I hope to meet you soon so that we can move toward a philosophy of appreciation of the hand and upper limb that combines insight and innovation with evidence based practice.

Karen Schultz Hand and Upper Limb Strategies, LLC
​

What We Do
Workshops & Seminars
  • KSHULS provides thought provoking and engaging  CE courses that stimulate and enrich understanding. Our courses have immediate clinical relevance and application. Seminars and workshops are available both in person and online. 
  • KSHULS leverages 43 years of professional hand therapy experience to enhance therapists' effectiveness, improve patient care and outcomes, and optimize productivity. 
  • KSHULS builds and supports a community of professionals dedicated to the excellence of hand and upper limb rehabilitation. 
Ergonomic Consultation
  • In conjunction with individuals and corporations, KSHULS optimizes safety, health and effectiveness of human environments.
  • KSHULS tackles workplace design challenges and integrates interactive systems of people, machines, and settings.
Legal Consultation
  • KSHULS works with fellow professionals to clarify the  impact of upper limb dysfunction on persons' function and quality of life.   
  • KSHULS assists legal teams to better understand the functional impact of hand and upper limb injury.
  • KSHULS provides functional capacity evaluation including comprehensive written reports, deposition participation and courtroom expert testimony.​
Patient Care
  • With a breadth and depth of comprehensive evaluation and treatment skills, KSHULS provides innovative and caring patient interventions.

Why We Do It
I established KSHULS to share decades of upper limb rehabilitation experience. I want to help expand the understanding of upper limb pathologies for clinicians, legal professionals, ergonomic specialists and patients.  My goal is to facilitate clinicians' abilities in the  identification of diagnoses, prognoses and potentials. My core value is to elevate the science of hand and upper limb rehabilitation with the highest standards of evaluation and care. In so doing I will catalyze and promote the art and science of upper limb rehabilitation to enable as many members of society as possible.

COURSES & PRESENTATIONS

​In my 43 years of practice, I have presented over 250 times, expanding the knowledge-base of hand therapy.
  • Upper limb anatomy
  • Comprehensive evaluation
  • Rheumatic disease management: conservative and post operative
  • Trauma management: including replantation
  • Orthosis management, design and fabrication; casting
  • Management of the congenital hand
  • Management of the burned hand
  • Management of hand spasticity
  • Work programs: FCE and work-oriented rehabilitation: job analysis, standardized testing
  • Ergonomics
  • Prosthesis training
  • Nerve compression syndromes
  • Nerve trauma
  • Sensory reeducation and desensitization
  • Therapeutic exercise program prescription
  • Edema management
  • Scar management
  • Soft tissue disorders
  • Joint sprains and dislocations
  • Joint mobilization
  • Mobilization with movement for the upper limb
  • Cumulative trauma disorders
  • Tendinopathies
  • Medical legal issues: expert testimony and depositions
  • Sports injury management
  • Specific joint management (finger, wrist, forearm, elbow, shoulder)
  • Pain management
  • Joint stiffness management
  • Therapist's role with patients who have emotional disorders
  • Proprioceptive rehabilitation
  • Hypermobility syndromes

EDUCATION

  • +260 courses of continuing education
  • California State University San Jose, Certificate in Occupational Therapy, 1978; M.S. in Occupational Therapy (with honors), 1982
  • University of California at Los Angeles, B.A. Design (cum laude), 1976

LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION

  • Colorado Occupational Therapy License #2205
  • Certified Hand Therapist  #9105000995
  • Certified Occupational Therapist #AA341924
  • NPI # 1093739187

ORGANIZATIONAL MEMBERSHIP

  • American Society of Hand Therapists--Active Member
  • American Society for Surgery of the Hand--Associate Member
  • ​American Occupational Therapy Association--Fellow
  • Denver Hand SIG

PAST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Hand Therapy Services
  • SENIOR HAND THERAPIST, University of Colorado Health'
  • HAND THERAPY CONSULTANT, Steadman-Hawkins Clinic - Vail, CO
  • OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, Chronic Pain Program: Glenwood Springs, CO
  • CONTRACT HAND THERAPIST, Santa Monica Physical Therapy Medical Group
  • OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST - STAFF IV, UCLA Hospital and Clinics
Thought Leadership
  • ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
  • CONTENT EDITOR, Introduction to Splinting by Lohman and Coppard; Mosby, 2nd Edition
  • EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER, Journal of Hand Therapy
Administration & Entrepreneurship
  • FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, UE TECH Inc (Design and distribution of upper extremity rehabilitation products)
  • FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, Rocky Mountain Hand Therapy
  • DIRECTOR OF HAND THERAPY, Southern California Orthopedic Institute (SCOI) 
  • FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, Los Angeles Hand Rehabilitation Center
  • CO-DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER, San Fernando Valley Work Preparedness Center
  • CHIEF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, Downey Community Hospital
  • CO-PROPRIETOR, Hand Rehabilitation Specialists
Work-Oriented Programming & Legal Consultation
  • EMPLOYMENT POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT CENTER DIRECTOR (EPIC), Downey Community Hospital

PUBLICATIONS

These published articles, chapters and images have helped to share and expand our hand therapy knowledge base. Following my formal participation on the Journal of Hand Therapy (JHT) editorial board, I continued to review articles for JHT and the Journal of Hand Surgery. These experiences helped prepare me to work in conjunction with non-primary English-speaking international hand therapists to assist them with professional editing to prepare their manuscripts for publication.
  • Tissue Remodeling and Contracture Correction Using Serial Casting and Orthotic Intervention. In Skirven TM, Ostermann AL, Fedorczyk, JM, Amadio PC, Feldscher S, Shin EK (eds). Rehabilitation of the Hand. Philadelphia: Mosby/Elsevier. 2021; 7th Edition: 1522-1538.
  • Stiffness. In Jacobs MA, Austin NM (eds). Orthotic Intervention for the Hand and Supper Extremity: Splinting Principles and Process. Hagerstown, MD: Wolters Kluwer Health/ Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 2014; 2nd edition: 391-422.
  • Casting. In Jacobs MA, Austin NM (eds). Orthotic Intervention for the Hand and Supper Extremity: Splinting Principles and Process. Hagerstown, MD: Wolters Kluwer Health/ Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 2014; 2nd edition: 326-351.
  • Work Oriented Programs. In Skirven TM, Ostermann AL, Fedorczyk, JM, Amadio, PC (eds). Rehabilitation of the Hand. Philadelphia, Mosby/ Elsevier. 2011; Edition 6.
  • Upper Extremity Functional Capacity Evaluation. In Skirven TM, Ostermann AL, Fedorczyk, JM, Amadio, PC (eds). Rehabilitation of the Hand. Philadelphia: Mosby. 2011; Edition 5.
  • Stiffness. In Jacobs ML and Austin N (eds). The Hand Splinting Process: A Comprehensive Manual. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 2003; 292-315.
  • Casting Techniques. In Jacobs ML and Austin N (eds). The Hand Splinting Process: A Comprehensive Manual. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 2003; 245-266.
  • Schultz Upper Extremity Pain Assessment. Tokyo, Japan. Kyodo Isho Shuppan Co LTD . 2003.
  • Functional Capacity Evaluation Following Flexor Tendon Injury. Hand Surgery. World Scientific Publishing Company. 2002; Vol 7(1): 109-137.
  • Static-Progressive Splinting. Journal of Hand Therapy. 2002; 15(2): 163-178.
  • Work hardening and work conditioning. In Mackin E, Callahan A, Ostermann AL and Skirven TM (eds). Rehabilitation of the Hand. Philadelphia: Mosby. 2002; 5th ed. 
  • Upper Extremity Functional Capacity Evaluations. In Mackin E, Callahan A, Ostermann AL and Skirven TM (eds). Rehabilitation of the Hand. Philadelphia: Mosby. 2002; 5th ed. 
  • Editorial consultant for Introduction to Splinting: a Clinical-Reasoning and Problem-Solving Approach. St. Louis: Mosby. 2001; 2nd ed.  
  • Static-progressive splinting. Bulletin de la Societe Suisse de Reeducation de la Main Tome. 2000 1(11): 14-19.
  • Static-Progressive Splinting. Edwards, CO: UE TECH. 1998.
  • Splinting the wrist: mobilization and protection. Journal of Hand Therapy. 1998; 9(2):165-177. (special issue on The Wrist edited by Paul LaStayo MS PT CHT and Larry Chidgey MD)
    • This article translated into Polish and published in Rehabilitation Medicine. 1998; Vol 2(2): 14-23.
  • Work hardening; work conditioning. In Hunter, Schneider L, Mackin E, and Callahan A (eds). Rehabilitation of the Hand. Philadelphia: Mosby, 1995; 4the Ed: 1775-1786.
  • Functional capacity evaluation. In Hunter, Schneider L, Mackin E, and Callahan A (eds). Rehabilitation of the Hand. Philadelphia: Mosby. 1995; 4th Ed: 1739-1774.
  • Industrial rehabilitation and the hand specialist. In Isernhagen, S (ed). Work Injury. Aspen: Rockville.1994; Vol 2.
  • Schultz Upper Extremity Pain Assessment. Avon, CO: Upper Extremity Technology (rev). 1993.
  • Splinting: a problem solving approach. In Stanley BG and Tribuzi SM (eds). Concepts in Hand  Rehabilitation. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis. 1992; 238-271.
  • Work Hardening: Mandate for Hand Therapy. In Mackin E and Callahan A (eds). Frontiers in Hand Rehabilitation: Hand Clinics. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders. 1991; 7(4): 597-610.
  • Practice Forum: Motor Point Finding with NMES. Journal of Hand Therapy. 1990; 3(4): 209-210.
  • Upper Extremity Factors in the Evaluation of Lifting. Journal of Hand Therapy. 1990; 3(2): 72-85.
  • Volumetrics: a Literature Review. Glenwood Springs, CO: Upper Extremity Technology. 1988.
  • Assessment of upper extremity-injured person's return to work potential. Journal of Hand Surgery. 1987; 12A [2 Part 2]: 950-957.
  • Work hardening guidelines 1984: As proposed by California VEWAA. In Edgecomb, J (ed). Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Bulletin Winter. 1987; 133-134.
  • MP flexion splints (photos). In Fess, E and Philips, C. Hand Splinting: Principles and Methods. St. Louis: Mosby. l987; 2nd ed.
  • Evaluating the worker's functional capacities for repetitive work. Seminars in Occupational Medicine. 1987; 2(1): 31-40 
  • Schultz Upper Extremity Pain Assessment. Avon, CO: Upper Extremity Technology; 1988.
  • Assessing the upper extremity-injured worker's ability to safely return to the workplace. Trends in Ergonomics/Human Factors III Part B. Amsterdam: North-Holland; l986: 641- 650
  • Matheson L, Ogden L, Violette K, Schultz, K. Work hardening: occupational therapy in industrial rehabilitation. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 1985; 39(5): 314-321 
  • Schultz structured interview for assessing upper extremity pain. Occupational Therapy in Health Care. 1984; 1(3): 69.
  • Centers for Work Capacity Evaluation: Downey Community Hospital. In Jacobs, K (ed). Occupational Therapy: Work Related Programs and Assessments. Boston: Little and Brown.1985; Chapter 5: 223-225.
  • Centers for Work Capacity Evaluation: Hand Rehabilitation Specialists. In Jacobs, K (ed). Occupational Therapy: Work Related Programs and Assessments. Boston: Little and Brown. 1985; Chapter 5: 242-244
  • The effect of active exercise on hand volume during whirlpool. Journal of Hand Surgery. 1983; 8(5), Part I: 625.