RSCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

Carole V. Dodge, OT, CHT The Simple Tasks bent fork lapel pin. Osteoarthritis OA of the hand is one of the more frequent diagnoses seen in a hand clinic. The carpometacarpal CMC joint of the thumb and small joints of the digits are most commonly involved.

The nature of care-giving can place great physical stress on you as the caregiver. Practicing proper body mechanics will decrease the stress and strain and help to safely manage the mobility of the care-receiver. The primary rule is to maintain the normal lumbar curve at all times.

Thanks for sharing, I used this website in my Pearltrees about PD, it has very helpful info.

This chapter is concerned with the unique problems presented by the bilateral upper-limb amputee. Although it is generally recognized that the unilateral upper-limb amputee uses a prosthesis as an assist and the sound limb for sensory feedback and fine manipulatory activities, the bilateral amputee does not have such a choice.

Medical rehabilitation, including physical and occupational therapy, can help you do daily activities while managing a rheumatic condition. A rehabilitation program tailored to your condition and needs allows you improve your strength and flexibility and the movement of your joints and muscles - all with less pain and stiffness.

"Arthritis" means inflammation of the joints, and it might cause pain, swelling, and limited motion of one or many joints in the body. More than 100 different illnesses can cause arthritis. Treatment begins after diagnosis by a doctor, who might prescribe medicine to reduce inflammation, pain, swelling, and loss of motion.

This story is about a firefighter who lost his arm fighting a fire. His arm was amputated and the he was fitted with a prosthetic. He worked with an OT and prosthetic forever! He wanted to be able to return to his dream job of fighting a fire! He worked very hard and he had his share of his ups and downs. I am not going to tell you all the ending, so please read it. It is not long at all and will take you 10 minutes at the max.

By Saul Morris, PhD If you have had an amputation or are going to have one, let me assure you that others have already gone through the same experience. You may be feeling physical pain, fear, apprehension, loneliness, uncertainty and sadness but I can assure you that you will make it though all of this.

This addresses the shame and the stages of grief that an amputee can expect to experience.

There are a lot of good articles listed in the sidebar on the left.

This website lists OT interventions related to rheumatoid arthritis such as joint protection, range of motion, maintaining muscle strength, and avoiding stresses that can damage joints. It also lists the optimal lying, seated and standing positions as well as taking care of the hands.

Awesome TEDtalk by Todd Kuiken about Targeted Muscle Reinnervation (the future of UE prothesis). This is a much watch video about the future of UE prosthesis. Targeted Muscle Reinnervation is an intuitive way to use hand and elbow prothesis with your thoughts. This is a better way to control your arm and grasp patterns. And hopefully in the future this technology will allow its users to 'feel' sensations in their prosthetic hand. Amanda, the patient talks about how the most important thing to her in working with children was the ability to clap again. Great video! Very informative.

This guys work looks fascinating. Shared as it is important to know all available options.

This was interesting for me as I had typed many of these surgeries and knew the words, but had never seen it performed. It would probably be a good visual idea of what our patients have been through in order to better treat and sympathize with them.

This was a great article about a woman who is an OT and her insight to working with people with UE Amputations. The article had great information about what OT is all about and how she and her team helps those with UE amputations.

The primary determinant of health for the average person is thought. Not genetics, not exercise or nutrition, but the mind. This has been shown over and over again by the scientific fields of psychoneuroimmunology, psychoneurocardiology, psychoneuroendocrinology, not to mention cancer research and all the various psychosomatic disorders that have been studied.

An anecdotal example of how "stress is the main killer". Interesting perspective.

This a great example of a Syme amputation. This kid is a real go getter and does not let his amputation get in the way of his dreams.

I like to share this webpage because it is very easy to read and has a lot of knowledgeable information. The interesting fact I learned for myself that Rotator Cuff Injuries are likely to happen in people after 40 years old, so I may seriously think about what I can do to prevent it happen to me. The website has a figure of the person on which you can point and it will take you to different syndromes of the body. The website explain in details definitions, causes, symptoms, treatments, preventions, recovery time and problems that can occur during the rehabilitation time. I thought it was very helpful.

this website is a great resource for anything shoulder related. Dr. Luks, MD provides answers to frequently asked questions and provides pictures and short video explanations for a few. If you click on the shoulder & elbow hyperlink you can find related info on shoulder dislocations, labrum tears, and rotator cuff injuries

this webpages gives a general overview of body-powered vs. electric-powered UE prosthesis. Advantages and disadvantages, improvements, and types of terminal devices. There is some interesting information on the different types of hands and gives info re: an experimental hand being engineered by students at Rutgers University that can be controlled through human thought.

This is a short article that discusses rheumatoid arthritis and its affect on kidneys. It provides suggestions on how to keep your kidneys healthy and has a warning list for signs of kidney damage.

This web site contains a wide range of information concerning the rotator cuff. It explains the elements of the rotator cuff, conditions of the rotator, ways to test for it, and treatments.

This articles gives the importance of early intervention with children with disabilities, and also talks about the children that need intervention and cannot recieve it. If you dont have a topic for advocacy letter this may be good idea.

I'm taking the idea, I like it! Thanks Ginger!