blog post 3

The scapulohumeral rhythm is defined as the ratio of movement between the scapula and the humerus. This interaction is important for optimal movement of the shoulder. It is crucial for the scapula and humerus to work together. A dysfunction will occur if normal position of the scapula to the humerus changes. Also, the scapula works around rotations to the thorax. For full ROM, the humeral head must rotate laterally. Another important fact is that the glenohumeral joint is needed for efficient arm movement.

The scapulohumeral rhythm permits good length-tension relationships. It affects the ROM measurements of the shoulder by every 3 degree of shoulder movement, there is a 1 degree at the scapulothoracic joint and 2 degree at the glenohumeral joint. For example, for full 180 degree of motion there would need to be 60 degrees at the scapulothoracic joint and 120 degrees at the glenohumeral joint. This ratio is defined as a 2:1 movement between the glenohumeral joint and the scapulothoracic joint. If the individual has a properly coordinated scapulothoracic rhythm, there will be about 120 degrees of glenohumeral abduction and 60 degrees of shoulder upward rotation.

blog post 1 revised

Each night before I go to bed, I attempt to do 20 squats. The start position for doing a squat is with my knee, hips, and ankles fully extended and the end position is with my knee, hips and ankles ending in a flexed position. The knee joint for doing a squat is in the sagittal plane about a frontal axis. The orthokinematics of the knee joint are flexion to extension in a closed kinematic chain.  The arthokinematics is the convex moving femur rolling anteriorly and gliding posteriorly on the concave stable tibial plateau. The tibiofemoral joint is a hinge joint. The primary mover for knee flexion is the quadriceps, which performs an eccentric contraction to lower down. When standing back up, the quadriceps act as the primary movers and concentrically contract to extend the knee.

blog post 2

It is important to use bony landmarks and proper positioning for measuring ROM because of intrarater and interrater reliability. We need to be able to know where to place the axis of the goniometer on the client each time so that we measure movement with the best reliability. Intrarater reliability is when only one therapist is measuring the ROM of the client. Interrater reliability is when multiple therapist test the same clients ROM. Increased reliability for ROM occurs in interrater reliability if each therapist uses the same goniometer. However, intrarater reliability is better than interrater reliability. Increasing reliability of MMT should be conducted at the same time of day to avoid carrying levels of fatigue, by the same therapist, in the same environment, using the same patient positions, and following a standard testing protocol.

              The purpose of an MMT test is to test muscle weakness and for data collection. Some factors that effect muscle strength are client factors, environmental factors, physiological factors, and motivational factors. The break test is the most common type of MMT test and is used when the client is placed in optimal position for contraction. The client can either be tested against gravity or in a gravity eliminated position. When the client is testing their ROM against gravity then resistance is being applied. However, if the client has a 3 out of 5 or lower on the MMT scale, they will be tested in gravity eliminated position. Gravity eliminated position is where the client is positioned parallel to the ground. In this position no resistance is being applied. When the client is tested against gravity, they are positioned perpendicular to the ground. “Test position” for MMT is the position in which the muscle is placed for optimal muscle contraction and proximal stabilization.  

biomechanics of doing a squat

Each night before I go to bed, I attempt to do 20 squats. Doing a squat is an example of osteokinematics of a closed-kinematic chain because my feet are remaining stationary while my quadriceps are doing the work. When I start doing a squat, I place my feet hip distance apart and extend my arms directly in front of me. Next, I bend down to where my knees are parallel to my hips and repeat these steps. My legs begin in a flexed position when my legs are hip distance apart and when I squat my knees forward parallel to my hips. My legs then become extended when rising back up to a standing position to finish the squat cycle (backwards motion). The gluteus maximus is responsible for hip extension and the quadriceps are responsible for knee extension.  The movements of flexion and extension occur at the hip, knee and ankle joints in the sagittal plane about a frontal axis. As for arthrokinematics, the moving femur rolls anteriorly and glides posteriorly on the tibial plateau. The moving femur is the concave segment and the tibial plateau is the convex segment. Also, the hip joint is the convex segment and the femur is the concave segment. The hip is a ball and socket joint because the hip glides in a posterior direction. Dorsiflexion is another important movement in the ankle joint to perform a proper squat. Dorsiflexion occurs when the top of the foot is brought closer to the shin. The primary movers of a squat are the quadriceps and the gluteus maximus which forms a concentric contraction. However, the eccentric contraction occurs during the downward phase of the squat when I am lowering my body. The concentric contraction occurs during the lifting part of the phase when I rise to stand up.

Nature-based therapy

The topic I chose to listen to the podcast over was nature-based therapy. I chose this topic because before listening to the podcast I did not know anything about what goes into occupational therapy in a nature setting. The speaker informed that the major clients she uses nature-based therapy with are children with sensory, attention deficit, and handwriting problems. The reason she specializes in nature therapy is because it seems to be very motivating to children.

              The speaker uses nature-based therapy with children with sensory disorders because there are a variety of activities for the child to play with. Some of the activities the children do while in nature is play in water, climb in trees, play in the mud, and hang upside down from objects.

              The children that have problems with their handwriting also benefit from being outside. The speaker informed that for children with this specific problem, she looks at fundamental issues like grip strength and going from near point to far point. Looking at ants is another therapeutic activity because it focuses on the child’s visual perception.

              Lastly, the speaker uses this therapy on children with attention deficit disorders. The reason this therapy is beneficial is because it focuses on unstructured play. Children with attention deficit disorders tend to not like to do activities that have a structured purpose. Therefore, nature helps prolong their attention span with a play task.

              After listening to this podcast, I learned a lot about nature-based therapy and I think it has many beneficial factors. Generally, families are skeptical about this therapy because there are safety concerns associated with being in nature. However, the speaker counters those fears by expressing that there are safety concerns of staying indoors as well. Some of those fears are television, internet, and cyber bullying. Overall, I feel informed on this topic and would love to experience nature-based therapy at some point in my occupational therapy career.

therapeutic relationships

After learning about therapeutic relationships, I feel confident that I will be able to have positive relationships with my future clients. As an occupational therapist it is important to possess the trait of empathy. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in one's shoes and have compassion but without feeling sorry for the person. This trait is important for an occupational therapist because we will work with clients with a wide range of disabilities. Since we will be exposed to people with a variety of disabilities, it will be crucial that the client knows and feels that we, occupational therapist, care about their needs and future well-being. Also, certain traits are important when working with clients. These traits include active listening, respect, empowerment, honestly, empathy, efficient verbal and non-verbal communication, and many more.

Knowledge check survey. 3/14

After watching the presentation today, I was in complete shock about how individuals with intellectual disabilities were treated. I was aware they were put into an institution, however I did not know how terribly they were treated. The presentation hits home for me because I care take for an individual, Sammy, with down syndrome. The thought of Sammy being put into one of those institutions makes my heart hurt. No person deserves to be treated they way they were.

What I learned today that I can relate to the era presentations is how much history changes over time. About 30-40 years ago people were still using derogatory words like "retard, imbecile, and moron" to describe individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, as time has passed people are advocating for a transition of terms to be used. For example, instead of calling someone "retarded" the person should be referred to as "a person with an intellectual disability." Also, advocates are pushing for people first language. This means referring to a person as a "person with down syndrome" rather than a "down syndrome person."

I think learning everything I have so far will shape me into the best occupational therapist I can be. The reason I think this is because I will have an abundance of information and history of the people I will be treating. Also, I can be a better advocate for the IDD community through my knowledge.