Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a diverse rehabilitation profession focused on enabling individuals to participate in meaningful or purposeful activity in all realms of life, including:

• self-care
• productivity
• leisure

Occupational therapists work with patients that would like to improve function, usually in the context of having acquired an impairment, whether the impairment be temporary or permanent. Let us give you a simple example of impairments and how they relate to function.

Often when people hit the 40s, many people develop visual impairments where they can no longer see 20/20 when reading up close. This is a result of the eyes’ lenses becoming less elastic and less able to bend the rays of light. We can get around this impairment by having the appropriate glasses prescribed. These glasses bend the light enough to make the image on our retina crisp and clear. Therefore, no function is lost with the use of glasses. After injury or illness, many individuals have difficulty engaging in the activities that they value as a result of new
or changed impairments. Impairments can be categorized as:

• physical
• cognitive
• psychological

Occupational therapists help patients improve function, allowing them to return to work, school, household chores,
hobbies, and other daily activities. They work with a holistic approach to better understand the multitude of complex
factors (i.e., unique circumstances, symptoms, and priorities) influencing a person’s level of functioning. While there
are advantages to working in a multidisciplinary setting with the entire team, ultimately collaborating with the patient in
developing individualized goals and treatment plans are of most importance.

Interventions exist over a broad spectrum and may include things like:

• education
• strategies to enable the patient to manage their activities by modifying the way the task is performed and environmental adjustments to improve functional engagement
• highly specialized interventions to train physiologic, cognitive and/or psychological skills necessary to
  perform at your desired level

Here are some examples of some OT interventions:

• guidance on how to adjust one’s schedule to manage fatigue
• recommendations to improve ergonomics
• Training down over recruiting muscles with the use of sEMG biofeedback while the patient is sitting at their work
  desk
• Sleep plan to strengthen one’s circadian rhythm and association between sleep, nighttime and the bedroom
• build compensatory memory strategies to avoid errors such as forgetting appointments or leaving food on the stove
• Training patients to regulate their Autonomic Nervous System with the use of biofeedback-technology while in
  simulated an anxiety-provoking situation

Any patient who finds an impairment is challenging them from engaging in life in a way they would like to benefit
from Occupational therapy. You can reach out directly to our office to book an appointment with our OT. Patients who
are working with other Health care providers on our team may have OT services recommended to you as part of your
comprehensive treatment plan.