splinting conference
Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 12:23 pm
I think I posted a week or two ago that I had an opportunity to accompany my OT to a splinting conference she was presenting. I was her volunteer/student because I am going to college to become an OT. This was trully a great opportunity!
The conference that I went to was really cool! I got to learn about splinting pediatric as well as geriatric hands. Then when the lecture was over and there was open lab time (meaning the group could try to make any splints that they wanted to) I got to try splinting too. So I attempted to make my mp blocking splint that I wear every day because there was a really cool color splinting material that the compant sent to my OT as free samples. My OT helped me quite a bit, but I did make it and it was a different material would be able to wear it daily, but there is too much give so I would not be blocked down as well.
I also got to bring home all the scraps from the others that tried splinting so that I can play/practice. I think though that I am going to use one piece to adapt my car so that I can use my right arm for the windsheild wipers. Right now I have to reach on to the dash over my steering wheel to control the wipers.
It was a really fun conference to attend and will definitely give me an advantage over my classmates. I have been able to learn so much of the anatomy of the arm and hand and I have been able to learn tricks to splinting young and old hand (which I will not forget because the conference sponsors made a book for me too to keep. It has the lecture in it as well as a lot of patterens for splints. that will be so awesome to have when I get a little farther in school. And I know who wrote the book and made the patterns (that would be my OTR/CHT, Joni Armstrong) so if I ever have questions I know who to call.
It was really interesting to see that some therapists really have no splinting experience. One of the ladies that was there really had trouble taking a pattern and making it a reality. So many of them want a splint that is prefabricated that they can just take off the shelf and had to the patient. I have only ever gotted one pre fab splint from my OT and we modified it any way.
A custom splint will fit the patients needs so much better and it can be decorated so easily so that it is their splint. I have a whole list of stuff to share on tips to keeps splints on but I will share those later.
Overall, I had a really great experience! And I hope that I get the opportunity to go with my OT again another time. She is just a really fun person to be around!
Oh and I almost forgot, I got to present my case study with a little help from my OT or a lot of help, she put it together for me and then filled in a little bit of the explaining that I missed. And since the conference was so small (there were supposed to be 8 people there and only 6 showed up) it was really easy to talk to them. The conference attendants really seemed to enjoy me presenting my own case study because they got to hear it from a patient point of view. They also got to see all my splints and hear about the successes that I had from them. It was so cool to see a picture of my hand from 2 years ago as compared to know, I dont think I have the picture but I will share it when I get it from my OT.
The biggest thing was the pictures that we have from the last two years. It is incredible to look at the pictures from two years ago and the ones from now. I have come so far in terms of hand use! Also with the pictures I know better what my home program is. I can see what I need to be doing. I would encourage you to take pictures of your little ones in therapy or have your therapist take pictures. Especially if there is more than one person (like when your kids go to school or day care) taking care of them that might remove or apply a splint or even do ROM the pictures make it so much easier for both the care givers as well as the therapist.
During open lab and breaks through out the day the conference attendants came up to me and told me that they really sppreciated me being there. That was really cool to hear! I also have a possible bpi connection in MN on of the therapists there said she has treated three bpi children (sad part is they are all delivered by the same doc) but any way she still sees one and has taken my email address to give to the family. I also gave them ubpn if they did not feel comfortable contacting me. I hope that they will email me.
I guess thats enough of a book for now, congrats to any one who made it this far. I just had such a great time! And I have to talk to my college but my OT thinks I might be able to get some college credit for attending the conference. That would be cool but even if I dont get credit they cant take away what I learned!
Hugs to every one!
Amy
The conference that I went to was really cool! I got to learn about splinting pediatric as well as geriatric hands. Then when the lecture was over and there was open lab time (meaning the group could try to make any splints that they wanted to) I got to try splinting too. So I attempted to make my mp blocking splint that I wear every day because there was a really cool color splinting material that the compant sent to my OT as free samples. My OT helped me quite a bit, but I did make it and it was a different material would be able to wear it daily, but there is too much give so I would not be blocked down as well.
I also got to bring home all the scraps from the others that tried splinting so that I can play/practice. I think though that I am going to use one piece to adapt my car so that I can use my right arm for the windsheild wipers. Right now I have to reach on to the dash over my steering wheel to control the wipers.
It was a really fun conference to attend and will definitely give me an advantage over my classmates. I have been able to learn so much of the anatomy of the arm and hand and I have been able to learn tricks to splinting young and old hand (which I will not forget because the conference sponsors made a book for me too to keep. It has the lecture in it as well as a lot of patterens for splints. that will be so awesome to have when I get a little farther in school. And I know who wrote the book and made the patterns (that would be my OTR/CHT, Joni Armstrong) so if I ever have questions I know who to call.
It was really interesting to see that some therapists really have no splinting experience. One of the ladies that was there really had trouble taking a pattern and making it a reality. So many of them want a splint that is prefabricated that they can just take off the shelf and had to the patient. I have only ever gotted one pre fab splint from my OT and we modified it any way.
A custom splint will fit the patients needs so much better and it can be decorated so easily so that it is their splint. I have a whole list of stuff to share on tips to keeps splints on but I will share those later.
Overall, I had a really great experience! And I hope that I get the opportunity to go with my OT again another time. She is just a really fun person to be around!
Oh and I almost forgot, I got to present my case study with a little help from my OT or a lot of help, she put it together for me and then filled in a little bit of the explaining that I missed. And since the conference was so small (there were supposed to be 8 people there and only 6 showed up) it was really easy to talk to them. The conference attendants really seemed to enjoy me presenting my own case study because they got to hear it from a patient point of view. They also got to see all my splints and hear about the successes that I had from them. It was so cool to see a picture of my hand from 2 years ago as compared to know, I dont think I have the picture but I will share it when I get it from my OT.
The biggest thing was the pictures that we have from the last two years. It is incredible to look at the pictures from two years ago and the ones from now. I have come so far in terms of hand use! Also with the pictures I know better what my home program is. I can see what I need to be doing. I would encourage you to take pictures of your little ones in therapy or have your therapist take pictures. Especially if there is more than one person (like when your kids go to school or day care) taking care of them that might remove or apply a splint or even do ROM the pictures make it so much easier for both the care givers as well as the therapist.
During open lab and breaks through out the day the conference attendants came up to me and told me that they really sppreciated me being there. That was really cool to hear! I also have a possible bpi connection in MN on of the therapists there said she has treated three bpi children (sad part is they are all delivered by the same doc) but any way she still sees one and has taken my email address to give to the family. I also gave them ubpn if they did not feel comfortable contacting me. I hope that they will email me.
I guess thats enough of a book for now, congrats to any one who made it this far. I just had such a great time! And I have to talk to my college but my OT thinks I might be able to get some college credit for attending the conference. That would be cool but even if I dont get credit they cant take away what I learned!
Hugs to every one!
Amy
