A female doctor holding paper people, focus on the hands; Shutterstock ID 85037632
Editor’s note: ACR on Air, the official podcast of the ACR, dives into topics important to the rheumatology community, such as the latest research, solutions for practice management issues, legislative policies, patient care and more. Twice a month, host Jonathan Hausmann, MD, a pediatric and adult rheumatologist in Boston, interviews healthcare professionals and clinicians on the rheumatology front lines. In a series for The Rheumatologist, we provide highlights from these relevant conversations. Listen to the podcast online, or download and subscribe to ACR on Air wherever you get your podcasts. Here we highlight episode 70, “Partnering with Your Occupational Therapist,” which aired on Feb. 13, 2024.
When Cheryl Crow was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2003 while in college, she did not know she would eventually work as an occupational therapist based in the Seattle area. In fact, she didn’t know that occupational therapy could play a role in helping those with arthritis.
Ms. Crow
“In a short period, I went from being athletic and healthy my whole life to … one sprained finger and then rapidly losing weight and muscle mass. It was not a typical RA presentation at first—until it was,” Ms. Crow told Dr. Hausmann in an episode of ACR On Air.
Eventually, the experience helped shaped her passion for those who are newly diagnosed. But what actually led Ms. Crow to occupational therapy as a career was a desire to help children with developmental disabilities, including those with autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. While in occupational therapy school, she learned many tools and adaptations to help with fatigue and pain caused by RA. At that time, she also gained a better understanding of RA as a systemic disease, affecting one’s health beyond a patient’s joints.
