Operation Hands On is a San Antonio, Texas-based 501(c)3 public charity founded for the purpose of advocacy, research, and fund-raising for use of soft tissue manipulation therapy for U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan after suffering serious burn injuries during their service.
A new and innovative combination of therapies for increasing range of motion, level of comfort, skin integrity and durability, and the livability of day-to-day life for these extraordinary soldiers has emerged. These therapies are already saving limbs and returning soldiers to a more independent life. Yet the treatments remain under-funded and under-researched by the medical community as a means of improving quality of life for burn victims, particularly these servicemen who have given so much for their country. The health-care plan the U.S. government provides for men and women in uniform once they have endured injuries serious enough to classify them as “medically retired” does not cover supplemental therapies such as soft-tissue manipulation. Soft-tissue manipulation therapy can cost up to five hundred dollars per session and is not paid by the U.S. government, despite its demonstrated ability to greatly improve these soldiers’ quality of life.
Operation Hands On was formed by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to come to the aid of these soldiers where the government has failed them. It is the most sincere belief of the founders and supporters of Operation Hands On that these soldiers have made great sacrifices in order to protect our freedom, and as such deserve all we can do to give back to them.
About burns:
Third degree burns require skin grafts that never mature to be as durable as normal skin. The grafted skin is thinner, sensitive, very dry, breaks open easily, itches, and contracts in the recovery process. Severely burned and grafted skin has lost its native ability to retain moisture and elasticity, often for a lifetime.
Severe burns usually result in permanent disability because of contractures, hyper-thick and immobile scarring that prevents movement. This active and debilitating scarring process typically prevents motion for five to seven years after injury, and all the while, symptoms continue.
Most of the servicemen being treated with soft-tissue manipulation therapy received injuries from IED blasts. Some time ago, survival was doubtful with 30% burns. Advances in burn trauma take that rate to 70% survivability. Unfortunately, rehabilitation statistics don’t parallel the survival rate. The challenge, then, is to increase not only the chances of these brave men and women to live, but to live well.
About burn treatment:
Soft Tissue Manipulation Therapy provides a great benefit to burn patients by providing increased skin integrity and durability. Although there are other significant benefits, these are the two most important.
In the care and treatment of burn patients, physical therapy to increase range of motion and strength cannot begin until the skin is healed and the underlying tissue is movable. Our licensed therapists have discovered new solutions to old problems that need industry-recognized testing and validation to merit credibility within the medical burn care community.
The Fund:
Operation Hands On, Inc. has been formed as a public charity to enable 100% deductible donations to help these soldiers.
This organization is working to:
- provide funding to pay for the services needed by these servicemen
- encourage the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to work together more effectively to ensure continuity of care for soldiers who have been classified as medically retired
- foster establishment of industry-accepted therapies (soft tissue manipulation, hydration) that facilitate faster healing and improved quality of life for badly burned soldiers
- provide training for other licensed massage therapists to assist these soldiers once they return home to their own communities
- educate the public about the soldiers so that a broad base of support can affect change
About the film:
In 2007, Gary Logan decided to join the cause by aiding his brother, Richard Logan, and Richard’s wife, Jann Henry (owners of San Antonio Massage and Spa and originators of the therapy which has proved to be so successful in aiding the recovery of burned servicemen) by writing, directing, and producing an extremely moving documentary film showcasing the efforts, progress, and need for support of this treatment. The outcome, Operation Hands On: The Film, follows the lives of the affected soldiers and their families, while drawing attention to the need for public support that Operation Hands On requires to continue. The trailer for the film can be viewed on this website, and further inquiries can be directed to Gary at gary@operationhandson.org.
