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Scleroderma

Janet Poole, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

August 1, 2016

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Question

Is evaluating sensation as important as assessing joint motion, ADL, or hand function?

Answer

Sensation is pretty much preserved in people with scleroderma. I did a study where I thought that it might be impaired, but I really did not find that it was. That is not to say that not everybody is intact. If people have had ulcers and have a lot of scarring, then they might have some decreased sensation. You could ask people, but I have not found it to be a real problem.


janet poole

Janet Poole, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

Dr. Poole is a Professor in the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program at the University of New Mexico.  She received her BS degree in Occupational Therapy from Colorado State University, her MA degree in Educational Psychology from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and her PhD in motor learning/motor control from the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Poole’s research interest is in scleroderma and the functional impact of the disease on tasks of daily living, oral hygiene, parenting and employment.  She has conducted a number of studies examining rehabilitation interventions with people with scleroderma.  Dr. Poole and her colleagues Drs. Khanna and Mendelson received a PCORI grant to revise and test a self-management program for persons with scleroderma.  She speaks yearly at patient conferences for people with scleroderma and has authored several textbook chapters on rehabilitation for persons with scleroderma.


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