knOTts' thoughts...

Image Source         White and gold or blue and black? Under normal circumstances, "l ight enters the eye through the lens---different wavelengths corresponding to different colors. The light hits the retina in the back of the eye where pigments fire up neural connections to the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes those signals into an image" (Rogers, 2015).  However, with this image our brain can't figure out what it is seeing because the camera does not have chromatic adaptation like the brain does. Chromatic adaptation  is where under different lights our brain can still tell that a banana is yellow despite the brightness or darkness of the environment. This is a great example of neuroplasticity which is, t he ability of the brain to modify its neural connections to adapt to challenges in the environment (BrainFacts/SfN, 2012). Within this example the brain has modified how it perceives color based on the time of day or light al...

          In the short story, "Man from the South," an old South American man bet an American navel cadet that if the cadet could light his lighter 10 times in a row he could have his brand new Cadillac, but if he lost the old man could cut off his pinky finger. Luckily, the old man's wife stopped them before the bet could be completed. However, the cadet noticed she only had one finger and thumb left on one of her hands.            If the cadet had lost the bet, many of his daily occupations would be impacted by just the loss of one pinky on his left hand. The pinky finger provides a lot of our hand strength and without it we lose the strength to do simple things like opposition (grip between the thumb and pinky) and grasping (grip between all of the fingers). As the navel cadet was training to be a sailor as well as a soldier he would not be able to perform many of his previous duties. His hand dexterity and strength wou...

        Scapulohumeral rhythm is the ratio of movement between the scapula and humerus. The ratio is that every time the scapulothoracic joint moves 1 degree, the glenohumeral joint moves 2 degrees. Scapulohumeral rhythm affects range of motion (ROM) measurements at the shoulder because two joints are working together. Having two joints work together then increases the ROM at the shoulder joint. Scapulohumeral rhythm also results in a good length-tension relationship. This means that the muscles do not shorten as much as they normally would if the scapula was not rotated upward, which causes the muscles to maintain force longer. Scapulohumeral rhythm also causes decreased shear forces as the motion is distributed between the two joints. Scapulohumeral rhythm is clinically relevant when looking at a client who has complaints of shoulder pain or injury. Clinically, a client could come in with shoulder impingement which means their rotator cuff (RTC)...

          Test Positioning is the position the client is in while they are being  measured for range of motion (ROM) and manual muscle testing (MMT).  When measuring ROM, the therapist will have the client in the optimal testing position and use bony landmarks to know where to place the goniometer. For example, when measuring elbow flexion ROM the proper positioning of the client would be supine with arms at their sides. The goniometer's axis will be placed on the lateral epicondyle, the stationary arm will be on the lateral part of the humerus pointing towards the acromion, and the moveable arm will be on the lateral part of the radius in line with the radial styloid process. When the elbow flexes, the moveable arm moves with the radius, but the stationary arm and axis stay in the same position. The bony landmarks where the goniometer is placed allow for a reference point so the therapist can accurately measure ROM. If the goniometer was not plac...

          Everyday I open cabinets in my bathroom and in the kitchen. This activity is mainly accomplished by the elbow joint. The elbow starts in extension, the hand grasps the knob, and the elbow moves into flexion which opens the cabinet. The elbow is moving in the sagittal plane along the frontal axis. The osteokinematics of the elbow would be from extension to flexion in an open kinematic chain. The arthrokinematics of the elbow would include the convex surface of the humerus and concave surface of the trochlear notch on the ulna. During flexion the concave trochlear notch on the ulna rolls and glides anteriorly on the convex humerus. The agonist of this action is the biceps brachii as it is eccentrically contracting during elbow extension and concentrically contracting during elbow flexion. 

          Occupational therapy is a hard thing to understand as well as explain. If I were to explain occupational therapy to a six year old child who was just referred for OT services I would say, "Occupations are the activities that we participate in everyday that allow us to live a self dependent life. Occupations can be getting dressed, learning at school, coloring, playing a game, or even going to the bathroom. Occupational therapists can work with any age in many different places. We can work in schools, hospitals, or in private practices. We are also client centered which means I am going to help you with the occupations you do and would like to be able to do better."             To me, occupational therapy is teaching people how to live. I wanted to be an occupational therapist because I wanted to help improve people's lives, especially children. I think that early intervention in children can give them more access...