Womack Occupational Therapists Get Soldiers Back to Work

Story by Dan Grubb

Womack Army Medical Center

Fort Bragg, NC – For Soldiers, physical injuries can serve as a roadblock to performance which is not good when you are a mission-critical component of America’s warfighting machine. This is where Womack’s Occupational Therapy (OT) Department comes in.

“Occupational therapists in the military are tasked with helping to return service members to their prior level of functioning after injury”, said Maj. John Elam, Chief of Occupational Therapy Services at Womack Army Medical Center. “In the military, OTs are working on an inter-disciplinary team to optimize human performance in the domains of sleep, upper extremity health, social skills, emotional regulation, and mental toughness.”

Occupational therapy helps people address physical, emotional, and social limitations. In the first meeting, the therapist will conduct an assessment to understand the individual and their family, discuss their goals for therapy, and identify any existing challenges. To better understand your support needs and how to help you reach your goals, your therapist might also examine environments you regularly use, such as your home or workplace.

Elam added “A lot of people jump to the conclusion that, because our profession is ‘occupational’ that we are just trying to get people back to their job, which is an important part of what OTs do, but not all-encompassing. In the military, of course we’re trying to get people back to their jobs, but an ‘occupation’ can also be sleep, playing basketball, being a mom or dad, a paratrooper, a war fighter. I’m talking about the things that give you purpose. OTs help you get back to those, and we’re proud to do it.”

Occupational therapy aims to improve people’s ability to perform daily tasks and live independently, focusing on activities of daily living, occupational tasks, routine activities, and hobbies. If an injury, medical condition, or disability makes it challenging to manage your daily life, occupational therapy can help. Recovery from events like bone fractures, burns, carpal tunnel syndrome, strokes, amputations, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), spinal cord injuries, and hand injuries often involves OT.

People living with chronic conditions can also benefit from services. Furthermore, pediatric OTs support individuals with disabilities like autism spectrum disorder, developmental delays, and Down syndrome. For more information, visit https://womack.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Specialty-Care/Occupational-Therapy