Graded Mirror Therapy

Upon reviewing the video entitled “Mirror Neurons” by Nova Science now, I gained a better understanding of the the whole mirror neuron system (MNS) and it's functions. In fact, a neuron is defined as “a specialized cell that conducts impulses through the nervous system” (Wood, Wood, and Boyd, 2014. p.41). The difference between a neuron and a mirror neuron is simple, a mirror neuron is defined as “a network of cells that the brain uses to interpret and produce motor actions and emotion-related behavior” (p.99). In my opinion mirror neurons are essential to establishing a human bond, considering they help the human brain translate or connect to one's own actions/behaviors to the actions and behaviors of another person. Mirror neurons help an individual experience empathy, which may assist in an individual's ability to relate to the world.

. . People say the effect is only on the mind. It is no such thing. The effect is on the body, too . . . Variety of form and brilliancy of color in the objects presented to patients are actual means of recovery.”

Mirrors are being used in places like Iraq by Doctor Jack Tsoa to treat wounded war veterans. The doctor uses the mirror to try and get rid of phantom limb pain. Phantom limb pain can happen when some gets there leg amputated and the nerve endings send messages to the brain telling them that their leg is there and that it hurts.

Practitioners use this method to master a bunch of both medical and health conditions like depression, arthritis and tendonitis and much more. It is commonly used to treat conditions that have something to do with pain like headaches and chronic back pains.

Occupational Therapy is a vital segment of the health care field. Individuals in this profession make a difference in the lives of others by helping their patients function effectively despite their disability, illness, or injury. They help by teaching patients many activities of daily living tasks which can include, grooming, toileting, dressing, eating, mobility, and much more! Along with the daily living tasks, Occupational Therapy helps individuals to be productive and successful in ways they want to be, like going school, taking care of others, managing their homes, preparing meals. Most importantly, they help their patients adapt to their environments and increase their independent function by helping them perform tasks with as little help from others as possible. Without Occupational Therapy, some patients with temporary disabilities could have a permanent disability. If individuals receive the Occupational treatments, they can prevent the loss of function.

After they finish, the therapist will draw an outline of them on top of their drawing. The patient will then step forward and turn around to see the comparison of the two drawings. Typically, they are surprised at how large their drawing is compared to how thin they really are. This could be effective for the patients because it allows them to see how misrepresented their bodies are, in their own

Occupational therapists work with family, relatives, friends and colleagues in order to make the transition less painful and more helpful for the recovering patient. Physical therapist works soon after the injury in the initial recovery course after primary injury while the services of occupational therapists are generally needed in the rehabilitation course when the patient has fully recovered from the initial injury. Provision of physical therapy may improve the situation and mobility of individuals. Physical therapists perform interventive therapies like massage, acupuncture, exercises and manual therapies to improve the functioning of the body. Occupational therapy is performed when the patient has fully recovered and the sole purpose is to improve the quality of life by not letting the disability to affect the life of individuals.

While there are many ways that a person can specialize in the field of occupational therapy, one of the profession’s draws exists in the potential for variety and diversity. The goal of occupational therapy is to provide therapies and alternatives that allow clients to return to the things that they need to be able to do, and the things they want to be able to do. This is obviously a broad definition, and one that can be achieved in various groups, and through various methods. Occupational therapists can specialize in hand therapy, stroke rehabilitation, driving, community mobility, low vision patients, pediatrics, or geriatrics. In any of these specialties, a therapist can address their patient’s daily living activities, leisure, work, education, or social participation. An increased ability to participate in any of these activities can be facilitated through a variety of treatments: splinting, modalities, adaptive equipment, task modification, environmental modification, or activities centered on desired occupations.

Therapy can help many aspects of a persons life. There are different injuries or birth defects that need to be treated to perform everyday activities. A variety of different therapy methods and treatments, depending on the personal weakness, can help improve someone’s everyday life.

It is used to stimulate muscle contraction, decrease muscle atrophy and increase the ability of child to be aware of his involved limb especially

The patients that I've been fortunate enough to deal with have all generally been able to get a handle on the idea that through Occupation Therapy sessions there is always a possibility for growth, change, Improvement, and development. In other words, the condition they are in now is not the condition they will be ‘sentenced’ to for the rest of their lives. Occupational therapy is about changing, improving, and offering a way forward with their ability to care for themselves and achieve some measure of independence beyond what they may be enduring at the moment. The psychosocial factors that can inhibit this growth can be categorized as their ‘old way of doing things’ versus the necessity of abandoned the old ways and developing new ways In order to function and even thrive. Stroke patients, in my experience in this rotation, have by far the most difficult time simply because the stroke couples a high level of disability with a high level of uncertainty. It is important to note, however, that a stroke victim may, with early and effective treatment, have a high level of recovery potential as well. The psychosocial factors that a person has previously defined themselves by may change, but

Most of the readings discussed various surveys and the prevalence of phantom limb pain in amputees; the sky-high rates astounded me, especially being that I had not heard of this occurrence until this class. Then again, I am quite unfamiliar with the hardships amputees go through. The authors of Phantom Limb Pain, Steven R Hanling and Ralph E Tuttle shared information gathered from a 2009 survey stating 74.5% of amputees reported phantom limb pain, while only 45.2% reported stump pain. These figures surprised me—I thought a larger percentage would feel stump pain

How can you repair yourself with a broken, non existing mirror? For many, you don't even have the mirror and the devil has you fooled, looking at a fake picture

Cognitive impairments, motor impairments, and balance impairments are all characterizations of stroke. Quality of life is diminished and functional dependence may occur from this. Mirror therapy is a reflective illusion meant to trick the brain into thinking movement has occurred without pain in the affected limb. A mirror is placed in the participant’s midsagittal plane. The unaffected limb is put in front of it so the participant can only see the intact limb. This is done to block the affected limb so that the patient can only see the reflection of the unaffected limb. This movement seen from the unaffected limb gives the illusion in which inputs are perceived through the affected limb which is behind the mirror (Myoung-Kwonm et al., 2016)

A mirror is objective; it will never reflect what you want to see, instead it