Walk it OuT

Implicit bias are the subconscious decisions your brain makes upon interacting with others. Our impression of others is formed by the way they look, speak, smell, move, etc. We identify these traits and categorize or stereotype the person we are interacting with. This is a natural process that embeds our preconceived notions about people into our interactions. My big take-away from this session is that we can learn to 'unlearn" our negative preconceived notions. This relates to neuroplasticity which we are learning about in neurobiology. Neuroplasticity is our brains' ability to reorganize by forming new neuronal connections. We do this when we unlearn or reorganize our implicit biases (in a conscious effort). It is very important for OT's to address their own implicit bias. We are in healthcare. We will see a variety of people with a plethora of problems. We can't allow ourselves to make a snap judgement about the client based on their appearance or the problems...

The scapulohumeral rhythm allows full ROM and muscle length tension through the motion of shoulder elevation. Shoulder elevation is a synchronous movement between the glenohumeral joint and then scapulothoracic joint.  This means that as the angle of the glenohumeral joint increases during abduction, the scapulothoracic joint moves as well in upward rotation. The scapulohumeral rhythm consists of a 2:1 ratio of glenohuneral joint movement to scapulothoracic movement that produces 180° of full ROM. When we have a client perform abduction/elevation of the upper extremity we observe the rhythm to ensure the total motion. We can observe weakness in the muscles that produce scapular upward rotation such as the trapezius or serratus anterior during the motion. If the scapula does not upwardly rotate, abduction of the humerus will not be complete.  Moreover, dysfunction in one of the joints can decrease ROM or cause impingement/pain.  This may be evident if th...

The bony landmarks we refer to when measuring ROM (range of motion) guide where we palpate and place the goniometer. It is important for each arm of the goniometer to be accurate to ensure accurate readings. The proper positioning of the client ensures that the readings are accurate when determining full ROM. Proper positioning also promotes safety of the client which is our main priority. In manual muscle testing we want to start where the greatest mechanical advantage and optimal muscle contraction will occur. This is the “test position” and is typically mid ROM. In MMT we always test against gravity before we eliminate gravity. The relevance of the gravity eliminated (GE) position is that it allows us to perform the MMT safely for clients with poor muscle strength. The gravity eliminated position is parallel to the ground which alleviates resistance. This removes a barrier for people who can not complete full ROM against gravity.

Health literacy is important in all aspects of the healthcare field. Somewhere between health disparity and health equity we find this significance. We want to be able to provide high quality service to all of our clients. Communication is key in doing this. As Dr. Flick pointed out in her presentation, health literacy is dependent upon communication skills between lay persons and professionals. This means understanding your client's level of cognition and language skills. If you have a client that has an exercise science degree you may use terms like "gait" or "ambulate." However, if you are seeing someone without that background knowledge you are not going to be successful in communicating a description of the way they walk. In a sense you will have to "dumb down" your language for lay people and recognize that your clients probably haven't had the training that you have had. The podcast on social disparities emphasizes having empathy and deliver...

Every morning I put my contacts on my eyes. To begin I reach out in front of me to grasp my container case. My upper extremities are functioning in the sagittal plane about the coronal axis. My arm is slightly flexed and my hands are in the supine position as I hold the container. With one hand I maintain the grasp I have on the container. With the other hand I scoop my contact out of the container with my second phalange. The wrist participates in pronation/supination in the horizontal plane about the vertical axis. The osteokinematics of the motion is pronation to supination with flexion of the arm at the elbow as the phalange moves towards the eye. This is an open kinematic chain because the distal portion of the chain is moving. The arthrokinematics of this movement occurs when the ulna (moving segment that is convex) rolls anteriorly and glides posteriorly on the stable humerus. The prime movers for the elbow flexion is the brachialis muscle. This muscle perfo...