Post Yer Walking Video

[saultite]

http://www.facebook.com/video/video....50643452966558
This is my husband walking in a pool in rehab 5 months after his injury.

[shveddy]

Made this up for the family and friends, thought I'd share it here as well.

http://youtu.be/3P0YVC4dl1I

[cajun]

That looks great for six months post SCI. I'm at two years and walking much better than at six months, 10 miles vs 1 mile. Good luck.

[arndog]

shveddy - I can't believe how much you look like me with your ambulation style with Side Stix. Really good energy you are putting out getting your tempo high like that . You will get more return for 1.5 years and then you will just get stronger if you can avoid overuse injuries to shoulders, elbows, and wrists. You look young so you should have good ligaments. When did you get those Side Stix?

[GL]

I wish I could

[shveddy]

@Cajun - It's always heartening to hear about tenfold improvements gained late in the recovery window. I can walk about a mile with a cane outdoors, and multiplying that by ten would be amazing.

@Arndog - Our deficiencies are pretty similar, so I guess that makes our gait similar. That, and I also watched your Tahoe Rim Trail video and got inspired; hope you don't mind me copying I'm quite worried about wear and tear myself, but to a certain extent I guess I'm forced to hope for the best and take preventative measures as much as possible. I have the expensive crutches, which I imagine will pay for themselves hundreds of times over in avoided joint surgeries. I periodically head back to the physical therapists to see how I can improve my gait mechanics and I stretch. Any other ideas from other full time crutch users? What's been getting to me lately is lower back pain on my left side, which is probably because I tend to hike my left hip when I get tired (I have enough hamstring to lift my foot, but it diminishes). Do you get that too, Arndog? Did it go away as your body got stronger? I suppose it could be all the titanium in there...

I've had the sidestix since late January, early February - I believe.

[arndog]

shveddy - about the back pain. I would back off on the volume (hours/wk) of crutch walking by 20 %. Stop before you get tired when you notice the hip hiking. Hell, you are so new, your fusion hasn't fully healed yet. That takes 1 to 2 years before it reaches its maximum. If you are hiking up your hip, consider lengthening your crutches so you won't have to hike the hip so much, this may or may not work. I think padded cycling gloves helps the hands and avoids medial nerve issues.....

[JonMartins]

This is what I looked like "walking" just prior to discharge from Burwood Hospital, 2 months post injury... am at 4 months and have "walked" twice ever since...

Injury was from a tandem skydiving accident, where I was the instructor and got compressed between passenger and ground, resulting in a compression burst fracture of L1 with severe-posterior bruising of conus medularis (spinal cord).

Preservation down to L3 on left side and L1 on right side. Operating muscles are quads(strength=4), ilio(4) hamstring(3) and abductors(3) on left side... right side same muscle groups at strength 2.... Sensory preserved although no pain or temperature sensations below knees.

Using a KAFO on right side and AFO on left.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-HQLt-93YQ

@ Arndog: thanks for the thread on "Incomplete's Dilema", has been an amazing source for benchmarking my views and theories... will post there sometime...

[shveddy]

Arndog - Yea, I've been trying to bike more and walk less since it's more fun and easier on the joints. I usually don't push myself as hard as I did to get up that mountain, but I had to get it done at least once. I felt pretty beat for three days or so afterwards, in addition to the soreness, so I might only do that occasionally. I definitely need to get gloves though.

JonMartins - Welcome to the forums, though - as everyone says: of course I'm sorry that you're here. I got hurt skydiving myself. Pounded in on a swoop because I was watching the gates more than my recovery arc... How did the student fair?

And good job on the walking. Having that one good leg is a huge blessing and it will help you get up and about sooner, which goes a long way to helping your left one will catch up. There's still time too! My weak leg's quads, glutes and flexors only really became 3's about 3.5 to 4.5 months after my injury and now they're all pretty respectable 4's.

[flying]

Hi JonMartins
Sorry about your accident. Looks like your doing pretty good, with your walking.
I crashed my ultralight, and have a very similar injury to yours. Can't feel much, below my knees as well. At 4 months, I was still in a chair full time. Did not really start getting much back until month 7and 8. Well I'm now at month 16. Heres a short video I made a couple of weeks ago, with two AFOs on.
http://youtu.be/7hIF5G-N7QU