My 3rd Week

So, things are going well. My strength is noticeably increased, at least to some degree, each day. One thing I have come to realize is that although spasticity of the muscles has been reduced/eliminated, the muscles themselves remain tight and weak. I think I clearly indicated the weak element prior, but only am recently understanding the tightness issue. Spasticity elimination DOES NOT equal muscle relaxation. It allows the muscles to be stretched beyond their usual length that the spasticity kept them at and thereby to be strengthened increasingly as well. Sam, a member of my PT team had a great analogy to explain this.... "It's like a braid. When you take the elastic out the braid doesn't just fall out on its own. You have to slowly unravel and unwind the braid for it to loosen up." (Yes, Sam is female, using a female example :)) However, this is not an instant process, as my impatient nature is discovering. Also, core stability plays such an important role in not only walking patterns, but spinal protection. I have to spend much, much more time focusing on core/pilates-type activities. This will help keep my spine in a more neutral position due to the hyper extension (lordosis) in my back brought on about by years of compensation and pulling of other muscles on the pelvis. This is a very common phenomena of CP patients over time Again, as I engage in more core- stabilizing activities, this should become habit to my abdominals and they should do a more effective job of protecting and keeping the spine in as neutral and safe position as possible. It is my hope that this will resolve my chronic low back pain in the long run, which is a result of the poor spinal alignment. So, it is becoming more and more obvious why so much post-op therapy is required of patients considering to have the surgery. There really are so many things to work on and improve upon. Rest assured, as I continue to learn more and experience more, my optimism for the long-term remains high despite that my short-term expectations have fallen short due to my own unrealistic projections.

Til next time!

Ken