Liz Burton MOT/S

 A feeling of inadequacy, when in fact, you are enough. That is how I would describe Imposter Syndrome.  Someone with IP might attribute their success to "being at the right place at the right time", luck, chance, or fortune. They rarely believe they are competent. They strive for perfection.  Accompanying symptoms might include anxiety, self-doubt, shame, and fear.  When I scored a 73 on the IP Quiz, I was shocked. Not because it was high, but because it wasn't higher. In a way, I almost think I've improved in my feelings of inadequacy, and I know I still have a long ways to go. When I got into OT school, I will be the first to admit the feelings of worry and stress were at the forefront of my mind. I worried about the caseload, completing anatomy, and simply being competent enough to finish all of the didactic coursework. As school progressed, I quickly let these fears manifest. I started to become extremely self-conscious and rarely felt like I matched up to the r...

The Locus of Control term was a topic foreign to me prior our Leadership asynchronous learning session. After browsing various resources, I feel confident in not only explaining what the Locus of Control is, but, how identifying it within ourselves can be beneficial in our individual journeys in life.  The Locus of Control is all about how we react to life's twists and turns, successes and failures, and ups and downs. For some, they may have an internal Locus of Control, in which when experiencing successes,  the individual contributes this to their own hard-work and/or personal attributes. On the other hand, when someone with internal LoC experiences a hardship, this amounts to a feeling of inadequacy and resulting in negative self-talk. However, someone with external LoC attributes their accomplishments to luck, chance, or fate and their hardships to external problems or people. It's important to note that an individual can shift between the two internal and external LoC'...

 My client has suffered a complete C7 Spinal Cord Injury resulting in loss of sensation in everything distal to injury level, as well as flaccid paralysis of both upper and lower extremities. The client wears a Halo Brace, only tolerates up to 10 minutes of upright sitting, and requires maximum assistance for ADL’s, transfers, and mobility.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNdUOrYphg8 Reflection A few values my client holds important include his wife and family, his small business, and his Korean culture. His concerns include understanding his injury and outcomes, and he expresses this with his major frustration. One of the goals he has is to provide for his family and regain strength and independence needed to be discharged to a rehabilitative hospital.  With all of this in mind, I wanted to focus my OT intervention on body positioning, mental health promotion, and client/caregiver education. By using a sturdy, laminated manila folder and metal clip, I am to provide a ba...

In this TedTalk, Kristen Powers talks about her personal experience with Huntington's Disease, and how it has shaped her outlook on life and how she chooses to pursue living it to the fullest.  (Click here to watch)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6JiBiMqiI4 Kristen speaks about her mom's experience with Huntington's, and gives the analogy of if someone was to combine Parkinson's Disease, Dementia, Alzheimer's, ALS, and Bipolar Disorder, you would get some kind of variation of HD. Huntington's Disease is a genetic and progressive neurological disease that results in the inability to walk and communicate. To learn more facts about HD, click the link below: https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-huntingtons-disease I think it is important to not only acknowledge the stress and burden the individual diagnosed with Huntington's Disease faces, but also the caregiver's future responsibilities and emotions as well. Kristen touches on a very sensitive subjec...

 Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes shaking, stiffness, and problems with coordination.  Here are some of the quick facts:  Parkinson’s Disease affects more men than women  One of the main risk factors includes an increase in age, especially the ages of 60 and above  Occurs when the neurons responsible for movement die or become impaired  There is no cure, however, medications, surgery, and/or therapies can be beneficial for symptoms  Parkinson’s Disease results in trouble producing neurotransmitters such as Dopamine and Norepinephrine  Now that we have covered the basics, here are 10 extra resources available to learn more about Parkinson’s Disease: For a brief overview of the disease, and to gain basic knowledge, click here:  https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/parkinsons-disease Click here to learn more about the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkin...

Since beginning OT school, the field of assistive and adaptive technology, along with the development of numerous creative softwares, has continually amazed me. I am in awe of the ways people work to bring independence and unique opportunities to the lives of individuals with disabilities. There truly is nothing like witnessing someone  use their technology to showcase unique abilities and talent. The Ted  Talk linked below features a young man with Cerebral Palsy who uses technology to create and develop music. https://www.ted.com/talks/tod_machover_dan_ellsey_inventing_instruments_that_unlock_new_music#t-551473 Cerebral Palsy is caused by an abnormality or injury during brain development, and usually occurs in children before birth. CP can affect the whole body, or only partial limbs and can include the following symptoms: High or low muscle tone Spasticity Ataxia, which we have learned in class, means problems with movement and coordination  Rigidity  Inv...

In order to learn more about the brain and it's role in social isolation, I watched the TedxMidAtlantic Talk with Rachel Wurzman. She focuses on a specific area of the brain, the striatum, which she believes helps us better understand our body's habits and urges when social isolation begins to take its toll on our overall well-being. The striatum is an area of the brain responsible for voluntary movement and control. Studies have shown that the striatum actually contains neurons which are related to our movement and reward, more specifically, our social interaction and the internal reward that comes as a result. Rachel goes on to explain the many different social isolation situations that can severely impact our need for reward such as social media comparison and trouble connecting with others because of physical differences. However, due to current events, my mind couldn't help but relate everything she spoke about with COVID-19 and social distancing. (We will circle ba...

One word I can use to summarize the TEDx Talk (TEDxDalhousieU) with Sanford Hare is: GRATITUDE.  Sanford was simply a teenager, entering into his last year of high school when he suddenly woke up one night with a tingling sensation in both his feet and hands. This tingling continued and escalated into severe pain and weakness to the point he couldn’t even lift his hands over his head. Immediately, his parents rushed him to the ER where diagnostic imaging tests such as CT Scans, X-Rays, and a Spinal Tap were used to reveal he had Guillain Barre Syndrome.  Guillain Barre Syndrome is a rare, autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the Peripheral Nervous System, which is responsible for controlling movement and sensation. I was eager to learn more about some of the specifics of this syndrome, so I visited the CDC’s website and examined the risk factors associated with GBS. I learned that only 1 in 100,000 individuals have GBS and that it is more prevalent in men...

A Social Determinant of Health is what you do and live everyday that directly impacts your health. Many times, we are unaware of how our environment shapes our overall health, therefore, the conditions worsen or go unresolved. For example, in the TED Talk, a patient named Veronica was asked about her home situation and whether or not she had mold, insects, and/or water leaks. After admitting to all three issues, Dr. Manchanda was able to conclude her chronic allergies and migraines were a direct result from her living situation and environment. With the help of a community specialist, they were able to do what they could to help relieve the symptoms by altering from home. In return, her chronic symptoms improved and even helped with her children’s asthma, creating an improved overall mental state for the whole family as well. Social Determinants of Health play a huge role not only in our physical health, but our cognitive/mental health as well. If an individual is living in a dangero...

As future OT Practitioners, it is important for us to understand the need and benefits of assistive devices for our clients. Clients will be able to participate more independently in daily activities and safely manage locomotion with the use of a variety of devices and equipment. When choosing equipment for a client, it is important to note their age, limitations and strengths, and overall endurance when moving around. A cane is appropriate when the client needs minimal to no assistance. Different styles of canes offer different benefits and should be carefully considered beforehand. For example, standard canes have a single base of support, while a quad cane will have multiple contacts with the floor in order to add increased support and balance. If a client needs additional support, or may need to be non weight bearing on a single lower extremity, axillary crutches would be an appropriate choice. One of the biggest limitations to crutches, however, is age due to when an individual ...

The term “mobility” is defined as having controlled instability. The order in which we are able to restore confidence in mobility based on increasing activity demands is as follows: Bed mobility, mat transfers, wheelchair transfers, bed transfers, functional ambulation for ADL’s, toilet and tub transfers, car transfer, functional ambulation, and community mobility and driving. I do believe this is a logical order once you begin to examine what an individual must do, and is able to do, in order to perform certain tasks. For example, we wouldn’t want to begin working with a patient getting out of their car when they cannot even get out of their bed safely. I do believe I have seen this approach used in much of my job shadowing experience, specifically when the therapist is working on getting the client out of the bed and then safely to the bathroom. Many times, the therapist would work consistently on getting the patient out of bed safely, and if they were able to do so, move on to the...

Posture encompasses the position of the head, limbs and trunk and ultimately allows our muscles and organs to function optimally. When discussing posture, it is also important to note the role of one’s Center of Gravity and Base of Support. It is important to keep our COG over our BOS in order to maintain postural control. The body is more stable when we have a larger BOS, or support surface, and therefore can majorly impact the way we move our body in order to reach a fixed and supported position. Here are 4 reasons why it is so crucial to teach proper posture and body mechanics to an individual, or future client, who has poor posture. 1.) Statistics show that 80% of adults will at some point experience back pain, and 90% of the time the low back pain will return or be recurrent. It is also important to note that the average age of experiencing this pain can begin as early as 30 years old. Many of these statistics could be avoided with the implementation of proper body mechanics w...

During the last SuperBowl, Budweiser put out a commercial about “typical Americans” that stuck out to me for a couple of reasons. To begin, the commercial highlights people who serve our country through the military and rescue squads, as well as sports teams that have won major titles for our country. My favorite aspect of the commercial is when advocating and petitioning is shown due to the fact that I understand the passion that goes along with fighting for something you believe in, as well as the privilege it is to live in a country that allows us to do so. For starters, I always enjoy a commercial that provokes some kind of emotion. In the case of this commercial, the feeling was immense pride and love for the country we live in. The ad also showcased the many wonderful and positive things happening in our country, rather than focusing on the negative areas and hardships. I think it’s always a sweet reminder to remind of ourselves of all the good that happens daily. The Limbic...

After reading the short story, we are encouraged to think of what a life would be like if someone lost one, or multiple, fingers. In the story “Man Down South”, a soldier is willing to bet losing one of his fingers. If this character had lost the bet, he would have an extremely difficult time completing his occupations. For example, activities for a soldier such as holding/grasping a gun or weapon, carrying equipment, exercising, and simply putting on gear might have proven to be extremely taxing, if not impossible, without the use of some adaptive equipment. As for the woman at the end of the story, it is clear that she has lost all but two of her fingers and now has to have her hair washed by someone else, indicating she has lost function of an essential ADL. We can assume she has lost the capability to perform many of her other occupations with ease including being able to drive with both hands, opening certain packaging, writing, and/or fixing her hair. Adaptive equipment such as...

As future occupational therapy practitioners, it is extremely important to begin familiarizing and challenging ourselves through the development of PDE goals. When choosing my goals, I tried to focus on areas I know I am weaker in and have a strong desire in improving. For example, in larger groups, such as class lectures, I tend to be more reserved or nervous compared to if I were in a small group of just a few students. Therefore, for my first goal, I would like to emphasize on class participation. My goal will state: I will demonstrate increased engagement by contributing to class conversation at least once during lecture, as well as ask a question to in order to increase overall understanding of the presented material. Lastly, due to the sometimes overwhelming and chaotic schedule of balancing school and personal life, volunteer work and community engagement can often fall on the back burner. To keep myself productive in my community, I will focus on planning and prioritizing v...

Implicit bias is the way we see or stereotype groups of people without even realizing. Implicit bias is a result of years of being taught to look at things or people in a certain way. After time, these ideas become so embedded into our thought process, we don't stop to think twice about the situation or person as an individual. As occupational therapists, we have a responsibility to look at our clients holistically. If we were to go into an evaluation with our own preconceived notions, we would miss out on the beauty of what makes our client unique and motivated. Most importantly, as (future) practitioners, we may not hear or understand the actual needs or beliefs of our client. So, how do we catch ourselves in implicit bias? A few ways we can examine and take initiative against our own bias is by active listening. Taking time to hear a client and truly work towards understanding their point of view will help in decreasing the formation of our own. With active listening, there ...

Simultaneous movement between the scapula and humerus is referred to as Scapulohumeral Rhythm. The shoulder has three degrees of movement, 1 degree (60 degrees) in the ST joint and two degrees (120 degrees) in the GH joint. Motion must be distributed evenly between the two joints in order to achieve full range of motion. Having the two joints working together, limits the stress put on a singular joint. It is important for the two joints to be congruent with one another so the two structures may move synchronously. The scapula plays a huge role in stabilizing the GH joints in order to achieve total motion. Each joint contributes to the total amount of movement that may take place at the shoulder, therefore, dysfunction at one will result in decrease of ROM due to the increase risk of impingement, pain, and overall function. Scapulohumeral Rhythm ensures the healthy length-tension relationships of the two structures while moving together and acting against force.

Using bony landmarks and proper positioning is necessary when measuring a client's ROM. Here are 5 reason why: Bony landmarks and positioning are important in order to make sure you are getting a clear, appropriate, and accurate measurement that could be replicated by another therapist if they had to step in to treat your client. Using proper bony landmarks is our main guide when measuring ROM. Being able to identify and use bony landmarks ensures we are measuring the correct body structure. Test positions that can help the therapist get a clear measurement include putting your client in a gravity eliminating position. This position takes away resistance for an individual that does not have the strength to move against gravity on their own. Test positions also help the client use their strength safely and comfortably, while also using the appropriate muscles during the examination and measurement process. Lastly, test positions can help eliminate compensation. Sometimes,...

Every morning I pack my backpack for school. When I reach my arm, forearm, and hand out to grab my materials, I am starting in a full extension position in a sagittal plane. After I have grabbed my materials, my fingers are in a flexed position also occurring in the sagittal plane, around a frontal axis. My arm then moves into flexion as the materials get to my bag. The Osteokinematics of the arm and fingers include extension to flexion, specifically when the arm is extended and the fingers are moving into flexion with the arm then moving into flexion during an Open Kinematic Chain. In regards to Arthrokinematics and the Convex/Cocave Rule, the moving surface, such as the Ulna, is concave and is moving closer to the Humerus, which is Convex. The Concave surface is rolling and gliding in the same direction in order to move the two closer together. The prime movers for the arm while moving into flexion in order to bring the materials to the bag would be the coracobrachialis, biceps brach...