MB the OT

Professor Flick was the guest speaker in our foundations class today and it was definitely a lecture that touched my heart. We learned about health promotion and health literacy and something that really stuck out to me was that the average reading level for the United States was at a 5th grade level. I did not realize until today that there were so many patients that leave a health care setting and do not understand what their diagnosis was or how to take the medications prescribed to them. Learning about this really motivated me to try to make the health care setting a little less intimidating for these people. I have set a goal for myself and I am challenging myself to always try to make sure the clients that I encounter feel welcomed and feel like they can be comfortable enough with me to ask questions about things they may not understand. In the past 5 weeks I have been taking a course called "Serving the Underserved" and it has touched on a lot of the topics that profes...

Scapulohumeral rhythm is when the scapula and the humerus move together in order to function properly. This action of the scapula and the humerus moving together is a 2:1 ratio because it is moving through two joints the scapulothoracic joint and the glenohumeral joint. Because scapulohumeral rhythm is movement between two joints it allows for greater range of motion. If one of these joints is not properly working then it will disrupt the scapulohumeral rhythm and range of motion measurements will be swayed from the correct measurements being the glenohumeral joint 120 degrees and the scapulothoracic joint being 60 degrees. If one joint is not working properly the client can have pain, decrease in total motion, or impingement. Joint congruency in the scapulohumeral rhythm also decreases the shear force. When the scapula and the humerus move together it can prevent active insufficiency where the muscle is not able to produce force to perform the proper movement. Scapulohumeral rhyth...

In occupational therapy using the proper technique is very important. When measuring a clients range of motion making sure you have the goniometer on the correct bony landmark is essential. If the therapist does not position the axis in the proper place then the measurements will not be accurate. It is also crucial that the stationary arm and the moving arm are in the correct placement as well. If all of the parts of the goniometer are placed on the correct landmark then the therapist can obtain the best results and it increases the interrater variability of the test. Many times a therapist will record the measurements of a client on several occasions over time, so having the goniometer on the correct landmark each time will help the therapist accurately determine change over time. The test position is the optimal position for a muscle to be placed for contraction to occur. When a client is in this position the therapist can palpate the muscle or muscles that are firing and determine ...