Exercise & Recovery Forum

[zanedy]

I am also new to this site. In Feb 2007 I had a SCI. I broke c7, t3, t5, and shattered t4 which went into my spinal cord. I also broke most of my ribs, cracked my sternum, broke my rt. clavicle, and brachial plexus. First surgery was botched. Had second one 3 months later, with 14" rods implanted. Any kind of movement was painful. But I forced myself to do it. I set a specific goal each day and week for the 6 months I spent in rehab hospitals. Walking up stairs was the main goal for me. Now I am fairly functional. The one thing that I found that I believe made a HUGE difference was the PT center. Instead of using a hospital based PT, I went to an outpatient clinic as soon as I could. I chose one that was set up like a regular gym, instead of just having a few pieces of equipment. They train atheletes right along with people that have SCI's and knee replacements. It motivates you to work past the pain. And the more you strengthen, the stronger your body, muscles, and spine will be.
I still have problems with pain, and mainly constant muscle spasms in my back, that pull on my ribs. My medication only removes some of the problem. But if I go a week without working out, I can't move. I won't ever be able to run like Kittyshrine (way to go Kitty). But I can walk right behind her, and I bet I can outlift her!!! <G> Keep motivated Tralain

[myerstim]

keep up the fight!

Im a c4 central cord incomplete.Nothing broken only compression.Thrown from my m/cycle at 85 mph,landed face first in 2006.I have had many setbacks in the 3 yrs.Incl. blood clot from groin to ankle,stitches in templefrom fall,stitches in back of head from a fall,broken shoulder bleedin ulcer that took 6 units of blood and 4 whole blood and recently a broken leg,tib and fib(boot off in 3 weeks).Im able to walk with a walker and after boot is off,with a cane.I work out 3 days a week using a nu-step machine,walking 800 feet in facility,and ankle weights for my arms.On tues and thurs 1 hr in the pool working upper and lower.My left hand works at abt 30% and right hand at 10%.I have a long way to go for me to be happy and might not get there.I hurt everyday,upper and lower but I wont give up."What dont kills us make us stronger".

[Coleen]

so, is pain a good thing in exercising?

I hurt to simply move, have (my PCP finally decided) CES and bulging disks, etc, but hurt all the time in left leg from butt cheek to toes, and have bad weakness in left leg - it 'goes out' after about a minute (now) of standing. I walk as much as possible with forearm crutches, but pain & numbness & weakness (one or the other - not all three, please!) cause me to either fall or stop & sit. I'm going to call & make a PT appointment as soon as I get my insurance back, but what can I do in the meantime on my own - I wear depends now for B&B accidents, so am afraid to go into a pool.

[youngster57]

i would just like to post this message as i feel it might be helpful to others regarding always staying positive and never giving up hope. I have been unable to walk or do much at all for about 15 years,have been in a wheelchair for 10 of those years up until last november 2008 when i suffered a brain haemmorage and was in hospital for about 3 months but im now up walking again and i cant put the feeling into words only to sy to everybody out there never give up hope and stay positive as miracles do happen every day

[stevegalliazzo]

I found an exercise bike was the best. I also found the harder I tried the worse it got for the first 11 months. It is now begining to subside quicker after ezxercise and a moderate level of activity is OK. I feel you must balance exercise with quality of life. I have had to self regulate my body temperature for the lad t 11 months and find this helps lesson the circle of fire.

[Fly_Pelican_Fly]

Guys, Im a T12 incomplete and am wondering if anyone has any tips for strengthening the quads from flickers to something more substantial. My hip flexors are really strong now as they are fairly easy to exercise - but the quads are a little more tricky when they are just flickers. I stand for an hour a day and walk several lengths of my lounge with a walker and AFOs most days. ALso I have a leg bike which I cycle on for an hour a day also. However, I find the cycling is really just utilising my hip flexors it seems rather than my quads.

I have tried the total gym but Im not strong enough to push that yet.

[lepups3]

Articles written by several researchers state that intense exercise may restore some function. Are there any guidelines as to what is too much? When I bought my FES bike, the therapist said not to use it more than an hour for no more than 3 to 5 days a week. That doesn't seem like a lot. In am a T4 complete almost a year post injury.

[SCI-Nurse]

Exercise and yoga are important to keep our body fit and healthy. I always do it in the early morning.

Doubt this person has a SCI...and this is the first female Edward I have ever see posting here!!

(KLD)

[alexworldclass]

hello dr.young
i am 6 months into my injury,i fell off a ladder and fractured the c-6 c-7 bones in my neck and damaged my spinal cord. i have re-gained some feeling in my back all the way to my heels and feet.the front of my body has some feeling too but it is different from the feeling in the back.i am a b incomplete.what are my chances of ever walking.

[PMR DOC]

Please respect your shoulders!!! Improper dips and poor unloading techniques with attempts to gait walk lead to rotator cuff problems.

[Patty41]

I personally am finding diet plays a HUGH roll in my continued recovery. I have switched to whole a food diet with lots of green smoothies, uncooked fruits, lightly steamed vegetables, truly multi-grain breads, rolled oats, long grain brown rice, beans and lentils, potatoes (both white and sweet), and seeds and nuts. I use a limited amount of 100% fruit juices for my smoothies, and drink vitamin D enriched almond milk, instead of cow's milk. The occasional raw sugar or honey as my sweetener. NO white bread, white sugar, white rice, or sodas and coffee. Water is my main source of fluids. For seasoning I use only true sea salt (the dirty looking grey that you grind yourself) and fresh herbs and spices. I get my protein from the beans and lentils, as well as, seafood sources and organic eggs. Since switching to this diet I feel 100% better!! Weight has leveled off at a nice 120 lbs (5' 3"), even with being on the Gabapentin. Seems to me that any extra weight makes this condition much more difficult. With this diet I no longer have to take anything to assist with bowel function and my UTI's have ceased. By 10 pm, I do my best to be asleep in a totally dark room, so to allow my circadian rhythms to be synchronized for proper hormone releases. Of course, there are those nights your up and down to the BSC and Nick at Nite is your best friend. Additionally, I have found that 3 daily ounces of Nopal cactcus juice helps a great deal with inflammation. However, it's incredibly sad the makers of the brand I find most useful, has decided to sell their product through the pyramid program, making the price entirely too high. I have to question how truly concerned a company like that is about the health and welfare of their customer. I also take high doses of sublingual B12 (methylcobalamin form). This has done wonders for my mood, and I seem to be gaining better balance since my D.O. advised I up my dose to 6000 mcg per day; three divided doses of 2000 mcgs. For exercise I do one day heavy, one day light and then take one day off for recovery. I use the treadmill, elliptical, recumbent bike, and water aerobics for cardio (thinking of adding a spin class). For strength training, I use therabands, hand weights ( 3, 5 and 8 lbs) and a cheap overall weight machine I purchased at Wal Mart. Still seeing strength, functional and sensory gains 19 months post injury. Drop foot seems to be resolving. My two most complex issues at this point is balance, which is improving and a left shoulder brachial plexus, which I do weekly message, hydro therapy, strectching and OT. Currently, taking Oxycotin, 10 mg, q 12hrs, but am working with my pain mgmt doc to gain insurance approval for a spinal cord stimulator. Would love to get off at least the oxy. If anyone has any pro or con experiences with the stimulator, would welcome your comments.

[mstephan]

First post
am c2c3 incomplete, road bike accident aug 07. 5 months hospital very limited recovery.
moved away from traditional therapy to more aggressive training. cardio, weights, stretching. spasticity still big problem in morning but the mental boast you get from the work is worth it to me. I agree with earlier thread, if it twitches, work it.
Hip pain is issue for me, am looking into replacement, anyone with experience in this?

[Tetracyclone]

mstephan,

I too suffered some hip pain in conjunction with displacement of that hip. Somehow, in the accident and/or with subsequent atrophy the hip is rotated wrong in the socket, putting great stress on knee and hip. i found a PT who uses something called postural restoration. He gave me odd exercises that seem to help restore the muscles that hold the hip more correctly. Over 8 months there has been improvement in the position of the hip ( it is a daily battle against hypertonia that draws the hip back into the incorrect position) and the pain is gone, though there is still too much torque on the leg.

Still it progresses, and for me this is much better than a hip or knee replacement, which would not solve the basic problem, and from which I might not come back, given my marginal status. My AB brother is taking 2 years getting bacck from a knee replacement. On the other hand I had an elderly friend, 85, who completed his second hip replacement successfully.

Study long and hard.

[jody]

it sounds like you are doing about what I did in the beginning. I joined a gym and used the pool to stand and walk in. that helped get muscle but the fatigue is someting that will slow you down for a while. you are so newly injured. I think it is very good for you to do housework. the thing with ces though is the later developing neuro pain. it is very hard to treat, and I think it contributes to the fatigue. for some reason I feel less neuro pain when standing in a pool.

[Tetracyclone]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Edward Lange
Exercise and yoga are important to keep our body fit and healthy. I always do it in the early morning.
Doubt this person has a SCI...and this is the first female Edward I have ever see posting here!! SCI Nurse (KLD)

Haha. Cannot be SCI. We spend early morning, well, half the morning, getting dressed and doing toilet!