 | This morning I had the privilege of presenting at the IKM-Manning STEM event. 30 businesses partnered with the IKM-Manning Schools to provide education and exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers to grades 7-12. |
| I spoke with the students about the importance of anatomy and physics in the physical therapy profession. The students were able to demonstrate the physics of good posture by one student holding a bowling ball close to the body, and another student holding the same ball at arms length and comparing the effort of the two. We related the bowling ball to their head on the top of their spine, and how if your head is in good alignment, it is easy to hold it up, but if the head is in a forward position (such as with texting) the muscles have to work much harder. We then related the physics principals that we talked about in the cervical spine to the lumbar spine. They were challenged with a problem of how to teach someone the safest way to lift an item from the floor. They did a good job of thinking through the problem. The students then got to palpate the bones of the lower extremity and learned how to measure knee flexion with goniometers. |  |
