Knowledge Check Public Health

One of the things that I learned from Professor Flick's lecture was that there are 3 types of negative outcomes to occupations. The first one is Occupational deprivation which is the lack of access to engagement in an array of self-selected occupations with meaning to the individual, family, or community. For example, a child living in a neighborhood with gang violence so the family is afraid for them to interact with the children in that neighborhood. The second one is  Occupational apartheid which is different individuals, groups, communities can be deprived of meaningful and purposeful activity through segregation due to social, political, economical factors and for social status reasons. An example if this is segregation and slavery. The third one is Occupational alienation which is experiencing devoid of meaning or purpose, a sense of isolation, and powerlessness, frustration, loss of control, or estrangement from society of self that results from engagement in occupations that do not satisfy inner needs related to meaning or purpose. An example of this is a person or persons who are struggling with addiction. 

Another thing I learned are the 3 different types of interventions. The type of intervention that OTs use mostly is the tertiary intervention. tertiary intervention limits the impact of an ongoing illness, injury, or disability that has lasting effects and helps improve the quality of life. 

Reflection 3 - Scapulohumeral Rhythm

The scapulohumeral rhythm is the ratio of movement between the scapula and the humerus. It is a kinematic interaction between the scapula and the humerus. This states that for full 180 degrees of motion, the scapulothoracic joint produces 60 degrees of movement, while the humerus produces 120 degrees of motion. Scapulohumeral rhythm is important because it allows muscles to be in an optimal length-tension relationship. It helps maintain subacromial space. Another reason that scapulohumeral rhythm is important is because it helps prevent active insufficiency of the glenohumeral joint. In terms of range of motion, the humeral head must always rotate laterally. For the body to have scapulohumeral rhythm, motion must be distributed between 2 joints. With scapulohumeral rhythm, joint congruency results in decreased shear forces. 

Foundations Knowledge Check

While listening to the podcast "Can OT Help with ADHD" I learned that it actually can. I knew that OT helped many disabilities, but I never knew that ADHD was one of them. Something called the sensory diet, or sensory schedule, is a common term used between pediatric OTs. This means that children with ADHD or any sensory problem need to have a 2-3 minute break every 1 1/2-2 hours. This break helps the child get back into a learning and participation mode. This technique is used not only to help the child become more focused, but it changes the thought of them being a bad kid or from the child hating school. I worked in a Pre-K class before I came to OT school, and I wish I would have known about this technique sooner. There were 2-3 children that really would have benefitted from this technique. ADHD can be improved with just changing the environment and routines. If the OT team, child, and parents all work together, problems can be minimized before they get too out of hand.

Another thing I learned is that assistive technology can improve the balance of time between and individual and the environment. There are 3 different levels of assistive technology: low tech, medium tech, and high tech. Low tech is the easiest to be set up and used. The person using the technology can figure out how to use it without any prior training. Medium tech calls for additional training or set up time. Medium tech assistive technology might need batteries or have an on/off switch. High tech is the most complicated and be challenging to program and maintain. 

Reflection 2 - ROM and MMT

It is important to use bony landmarks for positioning and measuring ROM because if there are different therapist measuring the same client, if they both use the same bony landmarks, it increases the likelyhood of the measurements to be the same. When there is more than one therapist, it is called interrater reliability. Intrarater reliability is more reliable than interrater reliability. When the therapist is measuring ROM, it is okay to measure through gravity because they are just measuring how much movement there is at a certain joint. There are different test positions that can be used when testing MMT. There is with gravity and gravity eliminated. Gravity is a resistance which makes MMT harder. The gravity eliminated position is used for clients who are too weak to move through gravity. Without this position, the clients would not be able to be assigned a MMT score. Within the gravity eliminated test, the client will not be able to score higher than a 2 on the Break Test. Test against gravity first, and then work your way down to gravity eliminated if the client cannot perform the movements.

Reflection 1 - Movements

Each day I wake up in the morning and straighten my hair for class. When I reach for the straightener, my elbow is in an extended position and my wrist and should are in a flexed position. After I have picked up my straightener, my elbow moved into a flexed position. My wrist and shoulder remain in a flexed position. Extension of my elbow occurs in the sagittal plane about a frontal axis. Flexion of my shoulder and wrist also occur in the sagittal plane about the frontal axis. The osteokinematics of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist are in a open kinematic chain. In terms of arthrokinematics, the moving ulna is the concave segment which glides in the same direction on the humerus. The prime mover for elbow extension is the triceps brachii, which performs an eccentric contraction. The prime movers for when the elbow flexes are the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis, which perform concentric contractions. The prime mover for shoulder flexion is the anterior deltoid, which performs a concentric contraction.