getting physical

i had my second physical therapy session yesterday. not much to report, except that i have been using my cane wrong (as does hugh laurie on “house,” and the dad on frasier). it is supposed to be held in the hand opposite the “afflicted” leg, moving with the “afflicted”leg. i was holding it in the same hand as the a.l. i’ll try it the other way, the “right” way and see if it is better. being left-handed, and my a.l. is the right one, it might feel more natural. judy, the p.t., did a bunch of tests of balance and such, determined i am about halfway between ok and needing an assistive device to keep from falling over. nice to know. she gave me a bunch of stretches to do, which shouldn’t be too hard to manage.

then i’m going to the brace clinic in a few weeks, to see about fitting me with a leg brace, something that goes behind the calf and under the foot, see if that makes a difference walking.

physical therapy, cane, brace, maybe hand controls for the car, gee, you’d think i had some sort of disability or something….

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Author: Stephen

Stephen Harris is a writer, painter and a photographer who lives with his family in Maine.

3 thoughts on “getting physical”

  1. When my cats were kittens, they used to curl up and go to sleep in the hollow curve of my plastic leg brace. You just don’t want to leave it lying around though–it makes people uncomfortable seeing an extra leg on your sofa!

  2. Seriously, my leg brace and cane gave me total independance to do anything I wanted but I had only one leg that was impaired. Using both the brace and the cane I could walk all day in Boston or wherever else I needed to be. Hope they give you freedom. I bought my canes in antique shops so I felt rather cool about them!

  3. I got fitted for a “Moffo” brace when I was dx’d with foot drop. It helps to keep the foot straight and provides support around my calf. I too was holding the cane in the wrong hand. My right leg is the bad one and holding the cane in right hand seemed only natural to me to support the right side. Go figure. However, when I use it on left, I drag right foot. Even though the PT’s tell you the right way to use devices, sometimes you just gotta do what feels right to you. Keep on keeping on. Anne
    http://disablednotdead-anne.blogspot.com

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