Missy Hymel

ACCELERATED HAND SOLUTIONS

When Missy Hymel became a National Board Certified Licensed Occupational Therapist 31 years ago, little did she know that by 2005, she would open one of the few private practices on the Northshore to serve patients with hand and arm injuries/conditions. Not only has the National Board Certified Hand Therapist personally owned and managed Accelerated Hand Solutions since 2012, but she also continues to treat patients and has eight full-time employees, including three other therapists, who work alongside her.

Becoming a National Board Certified Hand Therapist is no easy feat. One must be an occupational or physical therapist for three years and then be mentored by a CHT for another two years, while obtaining a minimum of 4,000 hours in direct practice and treatment of hand and upper extremity conditions. Missy and two of her other therapists, Stephanie McCloskey and Jordan Follis, hold this prestigious title, while the fourth therapist to join the team, Tess Danos, is eligible to take the certification exam this year.

In addition, Missy is a Certified Kinesiotaping Practitioner and a Certified i-limb Touch Bionics Prosthetic Trainer working with individuals who have lost a limb (hand, finger or arm) and teaching them how to use a static or dynamic prosthesis to gain function.

This highly specialized team of professionals is able to care for much more than just hand injuries—they treat patients for any orthopedic problems, nerve compressions, wound care, fractures, or tendinitis from the shoulder to the hand. Whether the injuries or problems are in the acute phase or even in the progressive healing phase, Missy and her team strive to provide all of their patients excellent, compassionate care. They work closely with hand and orthopedic surgeons to begin therapy as soon as possible, with the ultimate goal of restoring full function.

Having an orthopedic injury or problem of the shoulder, elbow, wrist or hand can be scary and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Hand and upper extremity rehabilitation takes time and hard work, but with Missy and her team, progress can be expected. She says, “Watching people come in with serious hand injuries, and seeing the progression of their not being able to use their hand to actually gaining functional independence again is an incredible journey I am able to share. Getting people back to doing the things they love, like cooking, golfing, playing tennis, working in their yard or playing with their children brings me such happiness.”

When Missy isn’t busy treating patients, she enjoys spending time with her husband of 25 years, Stephen, and her two college-age children, Jordan and Jared. She also loves photography and taking pictures to make scrapbooks so that her own children can look back on her legacy. In addition to her passion for hand therapy, she enjoys decorating her home and clinic for the holidays. While Missy leads an active lifestyle, she is never too busy to take care of patients and her staff and looks forward to many more years serving the community around her.

Accelerated Hand Solutions is located at 7047 Hwy. 190 E. Service Road in Covington, 951-2457. Please visit acceleratedhandsolutions.com for complete list of services.