Scapulohumeral Rhythm

The Scapulohumeral Rhythm is the articulation between the glenoid fossa of the scapula and the humeral head of the humerus moving. It is where the the body has the greatest amount of ROM. In order to achieve full ROM, the humeral head must laterally rotate. The motion with Scapulohumeral Rhythm is distributed between both joints, glenohumeral and scapulothoracic) and therefore the movement has to be synchronous. If there is damage to either joints, the therapist will be able to identify this. With the joints congruence, it allows for a decrease in shear forces. The Scapulohumeral Rhythm also produces a good length-tension relationship. I can affect your ROM measurements of the shoulder due to the ratio that is put in place between the joints. For every 3° of shoulder movement, there is 2° at the glenohumeral joint and 1° at the scapulothoracic joint. If this rhythm is impaired at either of the joints, this ratio could be thrown off.

Implicit Bias and Inclusiveness... My Thoughts

Hey hey hey! You made it back on the ride again! You are in to learn about a very interesting topic. The topic is on implicit bias and inclusiveness. Implicit bias is like an automatic switch in our brain that makes us think a certain way about a person, group of people, or concept. It is the things that we have learned over a period of time.

I think it is important for OT students and practitioners to learn about implicit bias due to the fact that we will come in contact with a diverse population of individuals. We should not put our beliefs of a patient on them. Although we may not identify with their religion, gender identification, socioeconomic status, etc. we can still be aware and try to change our perception. But, being able to do this will improve the relationship between you and your client. In the podcast, she mentioned how we can train our brain to think different. One of the ways we can address and examine our own implicit bias is taking a survey/assessment. Another way we can do this is paying attention to the way we pair words with each other. It will take practice and have to be intentional in order to remove the negative associations. The last way that I am going to mention on how to address implicit bias is to attend an implicit bias workshop that provides techniques and activities to assist you. 

My biggest take-away from this session that I am truly in control of the way I think. We are truly influenced from the society we have grown up in. I really enjoyed listening to the COTAD Live! event wirth Dr. Varleisha Gibbs addressing the issues of diversity within the OT profession. There is a need for inclusiveness, and it is up to us to provide that change. If a person does not see it, they cannot be it. I had never heard of OT until I went to undergraduate school. After finding out about it, completing observation hours, and now pursuing a degree in it, I have yet to meet a black occupational therapist. It makes me happy that I am bridging that gap within the profession. It makes me want to do more to get the word out about occupational therapy. I hope that you gained something while being on this ride today, and I look forward to seeing you again!

The OT Recipe

ROM and MMT

Why is it important to use bony landmarks and proper positioning for measuring ROM? What is the purpose of the "test position" for MMT? What is the relevance of the gravity eliminated position?

It is important to use bony landmarks for measuring ROM in order to line goniometer up at correct joint. You want to make sure this is correct also for other therapists who may have to complete ROM for accuracy. Proper positioning is important for measuring ROM because you want the position that is going to allow for the most adequate and accurate measurement. Due to some people's physical incapabilities, positions are going to have to be modified for that individual. The purpose of the "test position" for MMT is due to the fact that most of our ADLs are completed in the direction against gravity. The test is done with the joint placed in midrange because the allows for the greatest contraction due to the greatest amount of cross-bridges forming here. The relevance of the gravity eliminated position is that it allows the movement to be parallel to the ground for individuals who cannot reach full ROM due to weakness, injury, etc.

Activity Analysis

Every morning I get out of the bed and perform 10 squats to wake my body up. I perform the squats from full extension at my hip and knee. I then go into flexion at my hip and knee while dorsiflexion happens at the ankle joint. The motions happening at the knee joint, flexion and extension, are in the sagittal plane about a frontal axis. The osteokinematics of the hip for the down phase of the squat are extension to flexion in a closed kinematic chain. In terms of arthrokinematics, from extension to flexion at the knee joint, the convex femur rolls anteriorly and glides posteriorly on the tibia.  The prime movers for knee flexion is the quadriceps muscle, which performs an eccentric action.

Session 28 Takeaways

I enjoyed absorbing all of the knowledge from the materials we were required to look at for this session. I am going to focus the things I talk about from Professor Flick's lecture. One thing I learned is just how important is for someone to have sufficient health literacy. Health literacy is the extent where someone is knowledgeable enough to make adequate health decisions that promote their health. I found it so sad that a lady from one of the youtube videos signed papers to have a hysterectomy completed and did not know what it was until after the procedure was done. She was so sad that she had pieces of her body taken from her without really knowing what was going on. Another thing I learned is about the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Triple Aim. I have never heard of it up until now. I appreciate the effort and reasoning behind this program. It was implemented through the Affordable Care Act and Center for Medicare services. It was created in efforts to create a more efficient and sustainable healthcare system. We, unfortunately, are not as blessed with a healthcare system such as Canada. One of the main goals that I like is the emphasis for individuals to take control over their own health and life. They really want people to have an enjoyable experience when dealing with healthcare, and I am happy that OT is able to play a part in that.