Body Mechanics
For someone who has poor body mechanics and posture, it is important to teach them the importance of having correct body mechanics and posture to prevent injury or even discomfort. Some important reasons are to prevent muscle weakness in the back and rhomboids and to prevent tightness in the pec muscles. Having a thoracic kyphosis type posture could cause this and even impair respiration. With poor body mechanics and posture you could also experience lumbar lordosis. It would be important to correct this in order to prevent stress on the anterior longitudinal ligament or even possible nerve compression. Someone could also acquire scoliosis from poor posture and body mechanics. This could interfere with internal organ function and even respiration. Having poor posture could simply cause abnormal developments, acute or progressive degeneration, contractures, decreased awareness and poor habitual postures. Teaching important body mechanics and posture is also very important in order to just educate the patient. Sometimes people don't understand how they are sitting or how their body mechanics are actually affecting them.
In an occupational therapy intervention, one thing could teach a patient is the important of a "plumb line" which ultimately creates postural alignment and postural control. This would keep the body aligned with correct posture. Having control over your posture promotes the ability to have postural orientation which would allow the patient to be aware of their own body and what their posture is like. Having a "plumb line" and teaching its importance is a good way to promote education of correct body mechanics and posture in an intervention. Another option is to educate the patient on body mechanics when it comes to a job and the workplace. Many people sit at a desk all day which promotes bad body mechanics and posture. Teaching alternate ways to sit, or even modifying seating to unconsciously remind oneself on how to correctly sit. You could educate the patient the importance of not slouching and sitting up tall, and the importance of frequently taking breaks or even standing if it is possible to do so at their place of work. Those are two interventions that could be used in an OT intervention, but in any intervention, educating the patient and making sure of their understanding is key.
In an occupational therapy intervention, one thing could teach a patient is the important of a "plumb line" which ultimately creates postural alignment and postural control. This would keep the body aligned with correct posture. Having control over your posture promotes the ability to have postural orientation which would allow the patient to be aware of their own body and what their posture is like. Having a "plumb line" and teaching its importance is a good way to promote education of correct body mechanics and posture in an intervention. Another option is to educate the patient on body mechanics when it comes to a job and the workplace. Many people sit at a desk all day which promotes bad body mechanics and posture. Teaching alternate ways to sit, or even modifying seating to unconsciously remind oneself on how to correctly sit. You could educate the patient the importance of not slouching and sitting up tall, and the importance of frequently taking breaks or even standing if it is possible to do so at their place of work. Those are two interventions that could be used in an OT intervention, but in any intervention, educating the patient and making sure of their understanding is key.
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