Buffalo Occupational Therapy

30/08/2025

When your client’s weaker arm flexes as they stand, cough, or lift, that’s an associated reaction—automatic overflow during early motor relearning, not “trying to move.” Normalize it, protect safety, and shape it into function. 💪

Quick clinical cues:

🌬️ Exhale on effort to reduce overflow
🪑 Position & give proximal support
🤲 Use bilateral/symmetrical tasks
🖐️ Encourage open-hand/weight-bearing to dampen flexor synergy
⏱️ Grade the task & pace reps

OT

29/08/2025

28/08/2025

I love my job 😍🧠

I have met so many amazing professionals in this niche:

Neurologists and neuropsychologists
Physical Therapists (and assistants)
Speech Therapists (and Fellows)
Audiologists
Social workers - mental health specialists
Social Workers - Case managers
And so many more.

🤝 It takes a team to support the lives of those impacted my neurogenic diagnoses.

Although we all learn neuro in school, it’s an entirely different world in practice! And another layer? It looks different based on the setting you are in! How we practice and apply methods will change between settings, but our value doesn’t change.

OT plays a very unique role on a neurorehab team! Refining our skills and continuing to learn throughout our careers is an essential part of how our profession is valued in this space. 🧠 📚

25/08/2025

Muscle stiffness, jerks, or that “whole arm moves when I only want my hand” feeling after stroke? 🤔 It’s not just strength — it’s your brain’s control center (executive function) sending/ filtering signals. 🧠⚡️

What that can look like:
• 💥 Jerky “all-or-nothing” moves (poor inhibition)
• 🧱 Stiff, “stuck” positions (spasticity/synergy)
• 🔁 Trouble switching tasks (flexibility)
• 😮‍💨 Fast fatigue from over-recruiting muscles

OT helps retrain smoother, more precise movement with task-specific practice, targeted cueing, sensory priming, and dual-task training — focusing on signal quality, not just biceps curls. 💪➡️🧠

Focused and mindful sessions are sometimes more appropriate for recovery than moderate to high intensity!

21/08/2025

🚦 Why does spasticity happen after a stroke?

Think of your brain like a traffic controller 🚦—it tells your muscles when to move 🟢 and when to stay still 🔴.

After a stroke:
🧠 The brain areas that send smooth, controlled signals can be damaged.
🛑 The “braking system” that calms muscles doesn’t work as well.
📡 Another pathway takes over… but it sends too many signals.

👉 What does this mean?

It’s not just a muscle problem—it’s a brain signal problem.

Your body isn’t “refusing” to move—it’s reacting to mixed messages.

Skilled therapy helps refine those signals for better control.

💪 Outpatient rehab focuses on re-training communication between the brain & muscles—building smoother, safer movement over time.

✨ OT Takeaway: Spasticity isn’t stubbornness—it’s neurophysiology. Education empowers clients and families to understand the “why” behind therapy.

21/08/2025

It you have been recently diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Alzheimer’s Disease, please schedule an initial evaluation.

We can provide a comprehensive assessment of cognition and motor function, then help you navigate your journey with these diagnoses.

Over 7 million Americans aged 65+ are living with Alzheimer’s — including 426,500 in New York State alone.

2 out of 3 Americans have at least one major risk factor for dementia.

Learn more about memory health and how you can reduce your risk at Dentinstitute.com/memory

09/08/2025

🧠 Aging impacts more than just the frontal lobes, it changes how the whole brain works together.
OTs, remember: train multiple skills, think in networks, and adapt often. 💪✨

17/07/2025

📚 I will always be a huge advocate for theories, models, and frameworks.

In school, we are all itching to learn the job. We don’t clearly see WHY our professors spend so much time in theory. It wasn’t until years into practice when I was continuously asked about my scope of practice and realized that I needed to be able to justify why I was doing something in my treatment plan that I understood why these ideas are so important.

They are our guides! They help us being treatment plans and keep us on track throughout a plan of care! They help us communicate our competence and offer credibility to our craft as OTs!

🌟

10/04/2025

Acuired Brain Injuries include many diagnoses including stroke and TBI. These general handouts can make your life a lot easier as a clinician working with all of them!

These are illustrations that can help you refresh on concepts while also serving as a educational resource for your patients or clinic.

Are you a student? Get ahead of the game by making sure you have clinical resources ready for fieldwork and life as a new grad! Download the bundle by clicking the link in the BIO!

What's included?
- Brain Fog (2 pages)
- Rancho Las Amigas and Occupational Therapy (20 pages)
- Navigation Abilities Introduction (4 pages)
- Principles of Neuroplasticity for Cognition (12 pages)
- Rancho Los Amigos Illustration (1 page)
- Acquired Brain Injury Symptoms (12 pages)
- Dual Tasking Assessments and Activities (9 pages)
- Common Brain Functions by Lobe (1 page)
- Symptoms Associated with each lobe of the brain (1 page)

https://www.botportalceus.com/offers/zBzX6vNT

03/04/2025

These upper body handouts have saved the day more than once in my clinical practice!

OTPs are all about patient education AND activity analysis. What does that mean? BOT Portal has handouts for all of the above!!

Whether you are looking for a handout for your patient during patient education (health management) or you are wondering how to best set your client up for success in a motor learning continuum - these handouts (and more) are for you!!
These upper body handouts have saved the day more than once in my clinical practice!

OTPs are all about patient education AND activity analysis. What does that mean? BOT Portal has handouts for all of the above!!

Whether you are looking for a handout for your patient during patient education (health management) or you are wondering how to best set your client up for success in a motor learning continuum - these handouts (and more) are for you!!

Click the link in the BIO to get this BUNDLE:
- The Kaapandji Scoring Tool (1 page)
- Synergies of Hand Grasps (1 page)
- Scar Management and Scar Massage (1 page)
- Occupational Profile (5 pages)
- Functional AROM for ADL and IADL (23 pages)
- Inflammation reduction in Occupational Therapy (1 page)
- Grip and Pinch Measurement Chart (3 pages)
- The Range of Motion and MMT Approach in OT (1 page)
- Upper Body Dull Sharp Reference Tool (1 page)
- Trigger Finger Handout (1 page)
- Activity Analysis in Occupation (1 page)
- Anatomical Kinetic Links Illustration (1 page)
- Classification of Human Hand Movements (1 page)
- Degenerative Osteo Arthritis (1 page)
- Default Mode Network and Dorsal Attention Network (8 pages)
- Clinical Interview for Arthritis (3 pages)

https://www.botportalceus.com/offers/2X3D3FxZ

20/01/2025

Knowledge is Power and it gives us Strength as Occupational Therapy Practitioners 🧠 ⚡️

When attempting to carve a space for ourselves in the field of cognition, we need to understand core concepts like intelligence and how it relates to cognitive processes or we run the risk of unsound practice that lacks rigorous theoretical support.

In the post, we learn the difference between types of intelligence and how we can apply that information to our clinical practice.

28/10/2024