Texas woman learning to walk again

[manouli]

hope never hurts anyone.


Texas woman learning to walk again
5:05 PM, Sep 13, 2012 | comments

DALLAS, Tex. (KXAS) - With the help of her trainer and a walker, Kendall Hall takes halting steps.

The expression on her face is that of great effort and determination.

Despite the physical challenge underway here at Project Walk in Dallas, Texas, she wants other people with spinal cord injuries to experience the feelings of strength, joy and confidence that come with doing this.

"I don't think anyone can really understand spinal cord injuries until someone in your family has it,"� said Hall, Project Walk Executive Director. "You can hear about it, you can see someone go by in a wheelchair, but really you can't know it until you live it."�

more...

http://www.wcsh6.com/rss/article/214...-to-walk-again

[Mac85]

kEndall is cool, i've met her a few years ago

[rjg]

I guess "Project Cling to the Walker With All You've Got While Some Lady (Who's Being Paid With Money Your Grieving Parents Really Don't Have, If the Truth Be Told - And Speaking of Money, Wouldn't This Money Be Better Spent on a College Education That Might Someday Allow You to Get Off the Dole?) Moves Your Dead Legs" was already taken.

For a complete injury who attended rehab at some point, this sort of thing is meaningless until there's a regenerative therapy of some sort. The lady who was trying to do a sit-up with no ab function would be better off trying to flap her arms and fly. She'd fail at that too, but at least she'd be aiming high.

[Wise Young]

Originally Posted by rjg

I guess "Project Cling to the Walker With All You've Got While Some Lady (Who's Being Paid With Money Your Grieving Parents Really Don't Have, If the Truth Be Told - And Speaking of Money, Wouldn't This Money Be Better Spent on a College Education That Might Someday Allow You to Get Off the Dole?) Moves Your Dead Legs" was already taken.

For a complete injury who attended rehab at some point, this sort of thing is meaningless until there's a regenerative therapy of some sort. The lady who was trying to do a sit-up with no ab function would be better off trying to flap her arms and fly. She'd fail at that too, but at least she'd be aiming high.

rjg,

I am not sure that data is available to support the position that all people with "complete" spinal cord injury will not recover walking unless they have had some type of regenerative therapy. It is true that several studies have reported that a few hours per week of treadmill walking does not result in unassisted walking in over 99% of patients. But, as this does not rule out the possibility that more intense exercise (i.e. 6 hours per day for 6 days a week) and overground locomotor training will restore walking in a larger percentage of patients. I do agree that it is unlikely to work in all patients and even the most intensive walking training program in the world restores walking in only a small minority of patients with ASIA A.

Most rehabilitation doctors agree that about 5-10% of patients who have ASIA A spinal cord injury will recover unassisted walking. It is hard to predict which patient will do so but my experience suggests that these are often in patients with cervical spinal cord injury. The presence of spasticity helps and many people tend to have more sensory recovery below the injury site. It is also of interest that many of the people who recover walking do not recover good voluntary controls or sensation in their feet. For example, many of the people who are walking cannot feel their feet and must watch the ground while walking. They also cannot wiggle their feet or toes on command. This is in part because walking is programmed by the central pattern generator (CGP) in L2 cord. If enough axons are getting to the lower spinal cord and activating the CPG, walking may result.

As we all know, most people with spinal cord injury do not receive any kind of locomotor training when they have been classified A on the ASIA Impairment Scale. Despite this 5-10% of the people do recover unassisted locomotion. It is possible that intensive locomotor training can instigate walking recovery in a higher percentage of people. All the we know is that if you don't train to walk, you much less likely to walk. If more people train to walk, more people may recover walking. So, I am not yet willing to be as pessimistic as you are concerning the possibility of walking recovery in people with chronic ASIA A.

Wise.

[jmeyers7]

You shouldn't give someone a hard time for trying, so she should just give up? I see your point, but don't see your point.

[tweez]

Don't forget, physical rehab is the only therapy available to improve function. Regenerative therapy is not there yet and honestly it's not coming very soon most likely.

i'm myself 17 months post serious thoracis injury and although i don't have so much volontary control on my legs, my CPG has begun to show and I make steps that are even a little more convincing than the ones seen in the video (no one is helping me but I cannot stand on my own unless I have parallel bars) with AFO's however. It took me about 2000 hours of rehab to get to where I am (including triple 6 rehab)

I must mention that I am incomplete and my B&B&sex functions have recovered at about 60%. I make myself no illusions as to how I will walk unasssisted but simple fact of standing, bearing my weright and making steps has immense benefits for my health and morale.

[rjg]

Originally Posted by tweez

Don't forget, physical rehab is the only therapy available to improve function. Regenerative therapy is not there yet and honestly it's not coming very soon most likely.

i'm myself 17 months post serious thoracis injury and although i don't have so much volontary control on my legs, my CPG has begun to show and I make steps that are even a little more convincing than the ones seen in the video (no one is helping me but I cannot stand on my own unless I have parallel bars) with AFO's however. It took me about 2000 hours of rehab to get to where I am (including triple 6 rehab)

I must mention that I am incomplete and my B&B&sex functions have recovered at about 60%. I make myself no illusions as to how I will walk unasssisted but simple fact of standing, bearing my weright and making steps has immense benefits for my health and morale.

Take a hike, incomplete. This doesn't concern you.

[NowhereMan]

How many people being complete Asia A, at least 1 year post, have ever recovered the ability to walk after going to Project Walk? Zero.

[tweez]

although i'm incomplete, I have to say my motor skills are very poor. I'm barely incomplete. I think what dr. Young is saying as to 5-10% of completes being able to walk is also difficult to defend. those 5-10% were probably false completes.

The definition of walking here is also something that is subject to discussion. In the SCI world, some people think of walking as walking with KAFOs + walker for a few meters and then they call that walking. I apologise, but that is by no means walking.

My personal opinion is that if you can't do stairs you can't really walk and will require a wheelchair for everything.

So I am not denying the fact that rehab is not really a therapy. All I am saying is that in this point of time it is the only thing one can do to try improving their functional abilities,

Project Walk is a misleading name. For many, the simple ability to sit down without their back supported is a miracle.

So what NowhereMan is saying is correct.

[kivi66]

NowhereMan and tweez, thanks for being here, DA's absense still depresses me.