Pediatric Hand Therapy

Congenital upper limb differences present children and families with a complex, evolving medical landscape that demands coordinated guidance across development. This article presents a wayfinding model to conceptualize the collaborative roles of surgeons, therapists, and families across the care of pediatric hand therapy. Hand surgeons serve as cartographers, synthesizing anatomical knowledge and surgical planning into individualized roadmaps. Therapists function as expert wayfinders who translate surgical intent into clinical practice through orthotics, therapeutic exercises, and family education. Families, though initially unfamiliar with the medical terrain, develop confident navigational capacity as care progresses. Within this framework, condition-specific therapeutic principles are reviewed across a range of congenital hand differences, with emphasis on preoperative assessment, postoperative rehabilitation, orthotic fabrication, and outcome measurement across developmental stages.