This was last Friday, although I wish I had footage from therapy today - there are good days, and bad days, and today was definitely a good day. Sometimes, the spasms and stiffness in my legs and hips are too stubborn to resemble anything close to a smooth gait, and occasionally, like today, they cooperate and I can use the spasms and tone to my advantage. For now, check out this stroll through the gym, and I'll try to get some more footage soon.
Astute observers will notice something different between this latest video and previous videos I have posted. New wardrobe? Nope, same stylish clothes. Ability to levitate? Nah, gravity keeps dragging me down. Any more guesses? We flipped the walker around, so the blue bar is behind rather than in front of me. This subtle change actually makes a large improvement in my posture and my ability to lock my legs into extension and then initiate pulling them forward. (Compare to walking from May.) Without the bar in front, risk of epic faceplant increases, but my core is strong enough to balance and stay in position without it, so who needs that crappy little bar? Not this guy!
It is now easier for the trainers to assist my legs through the stepping motion; in trainer jargon, we've moved from "max assist" to "min-mod assist", so if you speak trainer, you'll know what that means. For those non-cultured English-only speakers, it means I am continuing to make progress, and that is all the motivation I need.
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On a related note, from the excellent Reeve Foundation research blog comes a post entitled "NRN Data: Activity-based Training=Functional Recovery". The research, done by the NeuroRecovery Network (NRN), a collaboration of 7 centers that offer activity-based rehab in a clinical environment, focuses on benefits from locomotor training to ASIA C and D patients (people with sensory and motor function below their level of injury. I'm technically ASIA A but (profanity-alert) f*** that, doctors don't know sh**, amiright?). Basically, this puts into published form what was already known: locomotor training (what I am doing) works and can help someone with an SCI regain function, sensation, and movement. Good enough for me.
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The 3rd annual CSCIR (my gym) golf outing is upcoming - August 22nd at Blythefield CC, 1pm shotgun start for all you golfers out there. Let me know and I can email you a form to sign up to play, or if you simply would like to support scholarships for those un- or under-insured who wish to walk again someday. Thanks and God Bless!
I came across these videos on a friend's Facebook page, and thought they were great. Beautifully shot,
and able to demonstrate their mission with only footage, editing and music.
The description under each video on Vimeo said: 3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....
Welcome to my life. I broke my neck at the C-5/6 level in July of 2007 while abroad in Spain. I have since graduated from the University of Michigan and am now engrossed in regaining the ability to walk. Come with me on my journey!
