sOcial buTterfly

Poor body posture is one of the leading causes of low back pain, a problem experienced by 80% of adults at some point in their lives. It is important to teach clients about proper posture and body mechanics in order to help prevent injury, dysfunction, and pain. When the spine is shifted from its proper alignment, discs between vertebrae can become stressed, leading to bulging, herniation, rupture, or fragmentation. Furthermore, disc displacement can cause spinal nerves to become compressed and surrounding areas to experience pain. Using poor body mechanics while performing tasks that involve lifting, reaching, pulling, pushing, bending, and turning (especially in a repetitive manner) can also cause injury to discs, muscles, ligaments, and tissues. Such injuries can interfere with one’s ability to participate in daily activities such as, working, resting, performing self-care tasks, cooking, cleaning, driving, and enjoying hobbies. This can become a costly issue (both spiritually and ...

One advertisement that always affects me is the ASPCA commercial that advocates for animals living (and left to die) in shelters. Before even looking at the television screen, I hear the music that plays during the advertisement and am compelled to look away. The faces of the innocent animals who have been abused, abandoned, starved, and neglected makes me depressed! Even more so, it makes me want to adopt all of them, or give all my money to helping them—both of which are not possible for me. I must use my frontal lobe, especially the executive functions of my prefrontal cortex, to refrain from dialing the ASPCA number each time the commercial airs. The emotional response that I feel can be attributed to my limbic system. Specifically, my amygdala causes me to empathize with the suffering animals. The attachment I feel to animals in general can be traced back to my hippocampus, storing my long-term memories of growing up with dogs, cats, ponies, ducks, squirrels—you name it! Both...

After reading the chapter from "Man from the South," I was intrigued by the life of the wife of the South American man. All we know of her is divulged in a few short lines at the end of the chapter, yet the story of her life quickly becomes complex. Unfortunately, the woman cannot even take the time to wash her hair without having to fear that her husband is engaged in dangerous and costly schemes. Moreover, she has lost at least three digits having to "un-do" the bets that her husband has lost. If the soldier had lost the bet, the woman's livelihood would have become even more unstable. For example, the couple may have had to move once again to prevent the southern man's incrimination. However, I will focus on her occupation as "care taker" of her scheming husband. If the bet had ended badly, the wife would assume that she could go absolutely no where without her husband -- even to shower, to sleep, to eat, or to shop alone. One strategy that co...

Implicit bias includes the innate opinions and beliefs we have about the world, and specifically, the people in it. Our implicit bias is like a lens that we see others (and ourselves) through. It is shaped by our culture, our experiences, and our education. In her talk, "You Can't Be What You Can't See," Dr. Gibbs asserts that our cultural identity is a complex thing. Cultural identity is not limited to race, ethnicity, and religion. Someone who is the same race as me could be raised in a far different culture! Identifying with others culturally, nonetheless, is an important part of occupational therapy. Thus, it is essential to identify our biases in order to truly understand our clients. Listening to and grasping the needs, wants, desires, and fears of our clients requires humility and open-mindedness. Our presence (our therapeutic use of self), can lead our clients to be comfortable with who they are and with trusting us with that precious, vulnerable knowledge. ...

The shoulder complex is just like the name suggests-- complex! Functional movements of the arm and shoulder require the clavicle, scapula, and humerus to work together in a kinetic chain. If dysfunction occurs in one joint or body structure in the complex, the function and movement of the whole complex will suffer. This relationship is known as the "scapulohumeral rhythm" and specifically refers to the collaboration of the scapulothoracic and glenohumeral joints. For full range of motion to occur, the humeral head must remain in optimal alignment with the glenoid fossa (1). When reaching above the head, the scapula rotates upward to permit this alignment, as well as to maintain an optimal length-tension relationship among the abductor muscles (2). As the glenoid and humeral head remain in alignment, shear forces are decreased, reducing the risk of friction and associated pain (3). If the scapula does not upwardly rotate adequately, the subacromial space is limited, and the st...

In range of motion and manual muscle testing, positioning of the patient is key to achieving accuracy and consistency. Furthermore, palpating bony landmarks is also critical. Proper body position and palpation is necessary to correctly align the goniometer for ROM testing (1). By palpating bony landmarks, various therapists can place the goniometer in the same position, improving interrater reliability of the ROM measurement (2). Locating bony segments also allows for appropriate stabilization of the body during MMT (3). Palpation is an important tool for recognizing irregularities in bony segments, or identifying tissue swelling that may contraindicate measuring (4). In addition to proper positioning of the patient, putting the limb being measured in the "test position" is also essential for successful MMT. The test position puts the muscle in a position for the greatest contraction, or greatest mechanical advantage (5). This allows for fair and accurate measurement of mus...