Building Week by Week

For those who have read my blog previously, change is very slow and takes what seems and is years! For those who have not read the blog do and you will get the sense of what I am talking about.
Its been 6 weeks since I returned from India and most of what has changed from the treatment is very subtle and change comes about with physical therapy. Basically, moving the body parts gets the nerves firing and doing it over and over and over and over and over..... again makes me work. The repetitions are exceedingly boring but I keep on keeping on to hope things will work better and changes will come about. I am at a stage where now we get picky and have to narrow in on things to make them functional. I have the majority of gross motor movement in all of the body parts that were paralysis 17 1/2 years ago and now its about putting it together and making it non-therapy ability. Which, if you agree is pretty awesome considering 3 years of treatment and 17 1/2 years post injury (good ratio)!!!!

Being in a wheelchair is definately not good for your body and unfortunately for someone like myself it is a necessary evil. If I could spend a majority of my life out of the chair I would recover 1000 times quicker but we have to work with what we can.

Changes that I have seen since last treatment from mid September to mid October with a bit of a break right after have been:
-Sensation improvement in core, gluteus maximus, and ability to recognise different surfaces through feet without looking.
-Stronger movement and balance in lower limbs
-crawling to kneeling is much easier (can kneel with one finger on one hand for about a minute without losing balance (no assistance needed to get that position and none for any kneeling)
-I can contract muscles specifically in abdominal (targetting) and in quadriceps.
- better hip hiking, now trying to bend the knee slightly when hip hiking, and able to do little little pushing up on ball of feet when standing using the walking frame.
-Have also tried and was successful on a couple of attempts to use crutches without someone holding on to me (but not able to step forward) Working on pulling butt back, keeping abs contracted and less arch before trying crutches again
-have also tried stepping with assistance about 2-3metres with exagerated knee lift and putting large amout of force downward with bigger steps in parallel bars
- have also been able to walk with both ankles unlocked with 2 degrees of plantar flexion. Was able to use left unlocked for a couple of weeks but ran into difficulties and switched back. Will begin again this week.

To prevent you from becoming bored and sleepy.... later mate!