Boot camp continues. It's a lot of work and they really crack the whip, leaving me dead to the world once I get back to my bed. There are a few updates that are cool and I wanted to share with you.
Harness
The Therastride system, suspending you over a treadmill with the harness taking your weight is one strategy I've already talked about. A different method they've been trying with me is to have a harness that doesn't directly take any of my weight. Using the leg brace, I'm forced to walk without crutches or canes using the harness only in case of emergency. This harness is suspended over the floor with a series of movable track options it follows. I walk up and down, simulating as best I can walking without any assistive devices.
AFO
The Ankle Foot Orthosis is a device that braces the ankle but not the knee. This is the device I hope eventually to move to full time. While stabilizing the foot, I now cannot subconsciously cheat and use the ankle to brace my leg. I now have to rely on the knee to hold my weight, something my knee is not excited about at all. But it's coming along. It is a goal to work toward, a thing I'm always in need of.
So I'm being the guinea pig for multiple rehab walking strategies. We'll see what helps and what doesn't. But for now it just makes me physically exhausted.
Click the picture for the story of Calypso, the Three Legged Green Sea Turtle, and why she's my symbol
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