Identification
The interventions were successfully implemented but the patient still had some notable difficulties and limitations. Some of this include difficulty holding items using her thumb, difficulty in playing with her dog, difficulty massaging and washing her dog, and potential risk of complications because the healing process is slow. It is, therefore, important to create an environment that allows Martha to continue with her activities of daily living and occupation.
Applied Technology
Several ways can help in ensuring that Martha can continue participating in activities even with her present limitations without the risk of aggravating her thumb. One of these ways is by practicing finger spread. This activity helps in improving the range of motion of the thumb and other fingers. It is a way of creating an environment that can allow Martha to adapt to her daily progress while also letting her participate in activities of daily living. Finger press begins with pinching the tips of the thumb and the fingers. It had been stated that Martha feels pain when she attempts to pinch anything. Therefore, this activity is important in ensuring the problem does not reoccur. An elastic band is then placed around the fingers and the fingers moved away from the thumb until the band is very tight. The thumb and the fingers are moved away and close to each other for at least 10 times (Hoggan et al., 2013). This activity helps in strengthening the thumb joint and increasing the range of motion. The thumb and the fingers are then moved towards the palm and the band placed in the middle. The fingers are then straightened and bent in succession around 10 times. For best results, this activity is repeated at least 3 times every day.
Another activity that can be used to modify Martha’s environment and allow her to continue with occupations is objects pickups. This activity also helps in improving the range of motion of the thumb while at the same time training the thumb to move freely without any limitations. Object pickups reduce the stiffness of the thumb joint thus reducing pain when one attempts to move their thumb (Healthline, 2020). This activity is done by placing several coins or buttons on a table and picking one object at a time and place it on a nearby table or at the far end of the same table. The patient must use the affected thumb while picking the object. The patient must additionally repeat this process for all the objects on the table for around 5 minutes. For the best results, this activity should be done twice a day.
Summary
The applied technology will benefit Martha in several ways because it will allow her to keep engaging in her activities despite her limitations without the risk of the problems reoccurring. The range of motion of her thumb will be improved with these two activities of applied technology thus allowing her to perform all the functions that may require thumb movement. It is important to note that these activities help in reducing the stiffness of the thumb joint thus elimination the pain experienced when pinching or gripping something. As a result, the performance of her occupation like playing with her dog is improved because limitations are eliminated. She can, therefore, be able to hold the chain appropriately while walking her dog thus improving the quality of time she spends with the dog.
References
11 Trigger Finger Exercises for Pain, Stiffness, and More. (2020). Retrieved 27 March 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/trigger-finger-exercises#object-pickups
Hoggan, E., Nacenta, M., Kristensson, P. O., Williamson, J., Oulasvirta, A., & Lehtiö, A. (2013, October). Multi-touch pinch gestures: Performance and ergonomics. In Proceedings of the 2013 ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces (pp. 219-222).
Assignment 1
Problem Identification
Martha Washington complains of lack of movement of the thumb accompanied by pain and stiffness. She also experiences pain when trying to pinch or tightly grip something. There is a visible muscle atrophy around the thumb. There is also a possible deformity of the thumb bone and a possible arthritis due to swelling around the thumb joint.
Description of Treatment intervention
Specific evidence-based occupational therapy interventions are necessary for addressing Martha’s lack of range of motion in her thumb. One of the interventions is the use of animal-assisted therapy. Animal-assisted therapy can be defined as a therapeutic intervention that includes animals and pets such as cats in the treatment plan to assist with activities of daily living (Şahin, Kose & Zarif, 2018). It is important to note that people engage in several activities throughout their lifetime. Some of these activities involve playing with their pets and washing them. An occupational therapist should use these activities to help their patients regain some of their abilities and continue with their activities of daily living.
One of the ways of helping Martha is by involving her lovely dog in the treatment. The dog is brought to the care facility and Martha is given a chance of playing with it. On occupational therapist helps Martha in cleaning and drying her pet. The patient is then educated on adaptive techniques to ensure that she can take part in her activities of daily living. Animal-assisted therapy is important in occupational therapy because most patients are always passionate about their pets and they would do anything for them (Andreasen et al., 2017). This passion can push one to work harder and succeed in the assigned task thus leading to successful therapy sessions. Interacting with animals is meaningful to most people and pet owners have a special bond with their pets thus making animal-assisted therapy very vital in occupational therapy.
Sometimes the patient may struggle to perform these activities and therefore it is necessary to train them with objects where a therapist can manipulate the pressure the patient is applying on the object depending on the degree of pain on their thumb. After several days of this activity, they can then be given the chance to play with their pet.
Occupational Therapy Practice Framework
According to the occupational therapy practice framework, animal-assisted therapy is very crucial in care and the care of pets is a very significant activity of daily living. It is important to note that pets enable patients in engaging in several activities of daily living thus reaching their occupational therapy goals. A patient like Martha can be educated on the best way to care for her dog while at the same time ensuring that she regains the motion of her thumb. This education is combined with the necessary training of the thumb to ensure that it can perform the necessary activities. Training can involve the use of objects to ensure that a patient learns about joint protection and energy conservation (Şahin et al., 2018). Animal-assisted therapy is a crucial intervention that involves several approaches. Firstly, it is important to create a time plan for the therapy to ensure that the patient achieves the desired outcomes within a specified timeframe. The therapist must maintain this treatment plan and only change it when necessary. It is also important to prevent deterioration of Martha’s thumb due to excessive weight or pressure.
References
Andreasen, G., Stella, T., Wilkison, M., Szczech Moser, C., Hoelzel, A., & Hendricks, L. (2017). Animal-assisted therapy and occupational therapy. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 10(1), 1-17.
Şahin, S., Kose, B., & Zarif, M. (2018). Animal-Assisted Therapy in Occupational Therapy. Occupational Therapy – Therapeutic And Creative Use Of Activity. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.76468
