update on my therapy

Hello!!  I’m still here & I’m still working at getting better everyday!!  I want to give you an update of what I’ve been up to. In addition to timed walks at the park and indoors at home, I also go to the park to walk up to multiple untimed laps (like early this morning). Those are so enjoyable!  Here’s a recap of my timed walking laps at the park & at home, as well as a recap of what else I’ve been doing to get healthier & stronger.

• At the park, again when the weather is conducive (i.e., not too windy, hot or rainy), I record my timed laps. I gave you my times back on 5/21, but here are a few of my times for my recent laps at the park. You’ll note that Sunday and Monday I timed all three laps.
  • Monday, 6/17
    • 1st lap        4:20 minutes
    • 2nd lap       4:10 minutes
    • 3rd lap        4:13 minutes
  • Sunday, 6/16
    • 1st lap        4:20 minutes
    • 2nd lap       4:22 minutes
    • 3rd lap        4:13 minutes
  • Friday, 6/14
    • 1st lap         4:24 minutes
    • 2nd lap        4:29 minutes
  • Wednesday, 6/12
    • 1st lap          4:28 minutes
    • 2nd lap         4:30 minutes

 

• So when it’s too windy, hot or rainy (or we have other things planned for times during the day), I do laps indoors in my home. I record those times as well. I average 6:20 minutes but on Thursday, 6/13, I did the indoor lap in 5:53 minutes!!

So, I’m very happy with my right leg/foot therapy and its “comeback” so far. I am wearing the knee-brace more often just to ensure that my right knee avoids its double extension. I will continue to work my right leg and foot - always reminding them to adequately lift the thigh, bend the knee, keep the foot straight, keep the pace/gait active, etc. Once I get the rest of my right side back into cooperation, I will plan to do more things that will also further help the right leg and foot - like swimming!

• Now for a summary of what else I am doing therapy-wise everyday. I maintain a therapy sheet on my computer and update it everyday. So here’s a recap - many of the exercises I have shared with you in separate posts already.
  • Stretches in Bed - at night, during the night and before I get out of bed in the morning, I do stretches 3-4 times to work my arm/wrist/hand and leg.
    • I wear the SaeboGlove at night.  I also wear it for an hour or two during the day. The SaeboGlove assists with thumb and finger extensions. And it has an innovative design that features a spiral forearm splint that secures my wrist in a functional position. Various sized tensioners are located at the finger joints and assist with extending the fingers and thumb following grasping. While I am wearing the glove I make sure that I can open & close my fingers.
    • I wear a custom AFO even at night and I make sure I can move my right leg up and down by bending the knee.
  • Push-ups Against the Bed - after my last stretch in bed in the morning, and after I make the bed (using my RIGHT hand/arm as much as I can), I perform push-ups against the bed. I stand on the floor with both feet, and have both hands firmly planted on the bed. I am now doing approximately 40 push-ups against the bed.
  • Arm Pedal & Wrist Bends - I am using the Arm Pedal everyday as I posted 10/23/18. The Arm Pedal gives both my arms a sense of activity. It also makes me stretch my right arm out as straight as I can make it go and bend it back towards me. Therefore it is great for warming my Arm up before all the other exercises! The Wrist Bends I do everyday I posted back on 1/29/19. The change now is that I do the Wrist Bends against the counter and not the Arm Pedal. I bend my wrist forward and backward.  
  • Arm Roller & Arm Extensions - I am also using the Arm Roller everyday as I posted 10/24/18. And after the Arm Roller I now do what I call Arm Extensions. I remove the Roller and expect my Right Arm to make the same movements without it!  My right arm extends straight out across the table and then bends at its elbow back into my chest. I am now repeating this straightening and bending a full 160 times!! It forces my brain to control my right arm to make the appropriate movements!!  
  • Comfy Chair - Arm - I am doing the Open/Closes & Saws everyday (sometimes twice) that I posted 11/27/18. These exercises I do with Tom’s help and they warm up my right arm/hand. I call them “Comfy Chair - Arm” exercises because I sit in a comfortable living room chair to do both the Open/Close with my right hand and the Saws with my right arm!
  • Comfy Chair - Leg - Then I do a series of three exercises for my right leg that I refer to as the Comfy Chair - Leg.  Although now I actually sit on a dining room chair rather than a comfortable living room chair! Mainly this is just better for the three movements. Anyway, I do what I refer to as Leg Kickouts, Leg Sideways and Leg Over the Left Knee. For the Kickouts, I make sure I kick my right foot straight forward and bring it completely back and down. I do this move now 100 times. For the Sideways, I make sure I move my right leg as far to the right as I can and then back in front of me again. I do this move 100 times now too.  And for the Leg Over the Left Knee, I bend my right leg at the knee and lift it over the left knee (as if I’m putting socks and shoes on). This, also, I now do 100 times.
  • I am also doing the following exercises on a daily basis: 60s, Mat, Bicep Curls & Turnovers, Arm at Counter-Top, Chair Raise-Ups, Stand-up/Sit-Downs & Leg Pedal, Golf Ball, Step-Up/Down with Plank & Leg Walking - the details of these will be very shortly forthcoming. Some of them have already been posted.
  • And, I am also doing memory exercises daily - with the use of Lumosity.  And, I also do the laundry, the dishes, some of the cooking and most of the cleaning!        

GOD BLESS! PEG

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” -- Abraham Lincoln