proper posture and body mechanics

Proper posture and body mechanics are important for a person to practice for many reasons. Posture is defined as relative alignment of body parts. One of the reasons it is important for a client to practice proper posture and body mechanics is because it protects the spine from injury. The spine is crucial for a person because it provides mobility, stability, transmits and absorbs forces and protects the spinal cord. Another reason proper posture is important is because it prevents less fatigue. When a person does not sit or stand properly it overworks the muscles causing more strain, resulting in excess tiredness. Also, correct use of pushing, pulling and lifting are much easier for a person who practices good posture. Lastly, poor posture can result in abnormal development of bone, muscle, tendons, ligaments, and other soft-tissue. These reasons, among many others, are important to express to a client.

During an intervention with a client, I would first find out how often they sit or stand during an average day. If the client sits in a chair most of the day, I would advise they buy a chair that does not have a back to it, also known as unsupported sitting posture. For example, they could buy a balanced yoga ball so that it would require their back to sit straight up. This allows an open angle between the pelvis and thigh. If the client stands most of the day, I would go over proper ways to stand with correct posture. One way is to stand straight with the shoulders pulled backwards. Also, standing with the arms hanging naturally on the sides of the body will better a person’s posture. I would demonstrate these stances with the client, so they are aware of what it is supposed to look like. Also, I would let the client know every time they are either sitting or standing with poor posture, so they will become self-aware.

Man of the south

In the story “Man of the South”, an old man bets against a young soldier that he can light his cigarette 10 times in a row while running. If the soldier were the lose the bet, the old man would cut off his pinky finger and if he were to win the bet he would win the old man’s Cadillac. Assuming the soldier lost the bet, he would face many challenges regarding daily occupations going forward. Many believe the pinky finger is not very important, however it is significant to daily occupations such as fine motor skills and grip strength.  Since the young man is a soldier, he is required to perform many physical activities that require use of all his fingers to perform efficiently. Some physical activities the soldier must perform are pushups, pull ups and operating a gun. The main problem the soldier will face if he loses his pinky finger is grip strength. The pinky finger is incredibly important for grip strength and for opposition. The fingers align towards the scaphoid bone when making a fist, which will allow for a stronger grip to occur.

The main occupation the soldier would struggle with after losing his pinky finger would be operating a gun. Operating a gun requires tremendous grip strength. If the soldier is not able to hold the gun efficiently enough then his accuracy of his shot could be thrown off, resulting in possibly his life or someone else around him.

              One adaption the soldier would have to get used to is operating the gun minus his pinky finger. To maintain an accurate shot, the soldier would have to put in extra practice to get used to working the gun without his pinky finger. He would need to practice exercises for his fine motor skills and grip strength. Luckily for him, the middle finger is the most important part of holding the gun because that is the finger that pulls the trigger. However, the other fingers are important to because they help stabilize the gun for accurate shooting. The soldier would need to go to a shooting range and practice until he feels comfortable enough to work the gun around other people.

AOTA vision 2025

During the lecture today, we learned about the AOTA Vision 2025 and how we can relate it to public health. The AOTA Vision 2025 is designed for occupational therapy to maximize health, well- being and a client’s quality of life through communication that facilitates participation in everyday living. There are multiple important terms and concepts regarding this vision, with some of the concepts being health promotion, public health, social determinants, etc. I found the lecture very interesting today because it informed me about what exactly the vision entails. One thing I was shocked about was the video profession Flick showed regarding the clients that had a low reading level. I could not believe that clients go through with operations and sign documents without knowing what they are signing or doing to their body. I think it is very important to go over documents beforehand with our clients so that they are aware of everything that is about to happen to their bodies. Overall, I am grateful for the lecture and feel more informed about how to help my clients live their best quality of life possible.

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.