Inspired Spinal Cord Injury Support Forum

tetra
Advanced Member

Posts: 815

Post Likes Received: 942
Date Joined: November 2016
Injury: C5-7 Incomplete
Date Injured: 5/28/2008

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery Nov 8, 2017 8:10:29 GMT -8

Quote

Post by tetra on Nov 8, 2017 8:10:29 GMT -8

When judging how hard to push ourselves, one consideration is that we need to feel positive to keep going. So setting a pace where we feel strong when we do it, at least at first, is important. That lets us want to try the next time and to push ourselves when we do- or at least to the predetermined limit!

sam and younggun like this

I step in the water, but the water has moved on...

sam
Advanced Member

Posts: 558

Post Likes Received: 512
Date Joined: August 2016
Injury: incomplete C3, C4, C5 multiple fractures
Date Injured: 06/24/2015

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery Dec 3, 2017 17:03:55 GMT -8

Quote

Post by sam on Dec 3, 2017 17:03:55 GMT -8

been taking it a bit more according to muscle sensitivity, when I feel tired in my muscles to go easier or take a break. I took my first unassisted step today standing next to my stripper pole. I feel much stronger today and it is looking really positive. have a ton of strength in legs currently, really slow moving from standing to sitting shows that. just gotta get a bit more control over my left foot so I can be confident taking steps with it. so very close.

DJ, moco, and 2 more like this

younggun
Member

Posts: 131
Post Likes Received: 192
Date Joined: December 2016

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery Dec 3, 2017 20:42:58 GMT -8 via Inspired Mobile

Quote

Post by younggun on Dec 3, 2017 20:42:58 GMT -8

Dec 3, 2017 17:03:55 GMT -8 sam said:

been taking it a bit more according to muscle sensitivity, when I feel tired in my muscles to go easier or take a break. I took my first unassisted step today standing next to my stripper pole. I feel much stronger today and it is looking really positive. have a ton of strength in legs currently, really slow moving from standing to sitting shows that. just gotta get a bit more control over my left foot so I can be confident taking steps with it. so very close.

Common Sam.. You can do it.. Just little time left before you walk some distance unassisted.. commonn...

DJ and sam like this

DJ Administrator STAFF Posts: 8,162 Post Likes Received: 2,829 Date Joined: July 2013 Injury: C6 - ASIA B Date Injured: June 2011 Member is: Offline Send PM	building muscle in recovery Dec 4, 2017 4:15:27 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by DJ on Dec 4, 2017 4:15:27 GMT -8 Great work sam, keep it up!

sam
Advanced Member

Posts: 558

Post Likes Received: 512
Date Joined: August 2016
Injury: incomplete C3, C4, C5 multiple fractures
Date Injured: 06/24/2015

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery Jan 22, 2018 13:06:24 GMT -8

Quote

Post by sam on Jan 22, 2018 13:06:24 GMT -8

today is a great day, feeling so much stronger, using legs only to stand up from wheelchair. I also stopped today all prescript. meds for muscle relaxation, dantrolene. ive been weening myself off it for a week. it never did much to help me, only taking cannabis now for muscle relaxation. standing next to my stripper pole I am wanting to take steps with no help and no walker, but when I try its a no go for now, but in 6 months? I know it will happen soon.

tetra, moco, and 1 more like this

sam
Advanced Member

Posts: 558

Post Likes Received: 512
Date Joined: August 2016
Injury: incomplete C3, C4, C5 multiple fractures
Date Injured: 06/24/2015

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery May 18, 2018 8:28:22 GMT -8

Quote

Post by sam on May 18, 2018 8:28:22 GMT -8

just another update: 2 yrs, 11 months post injury

some fairly astounding things are happening, although in super slo mo, I must report the feeling in my left foot is coming back recently, this morning I awoke after having a good 6 hour sleep and I could feel blood pumping in my left foot so I curled my toes fairly easily, I could do before but it took concentration and time to do. today muscles their seem to be responding. doing much more with left hand also, it assists my right hand now when doing things instead of doing nothing. yay!

is this the 3 yr post injury where things become a bit easier feeling, muscles relax and respond fairly quickly and are stronger?

tetra
Advanced Member

Posts: 815

Post Likes Received: 942
Date Joined: November 2016
Injury: C5-7 Incomplete
Date Injured: 5/28/2008

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery May 18, 2018 12:19:47 GMT -8

Quote

Post by tetra on May 18, 2018 12:19:47 GMT -8

May 18, 2018 8:28:22 GMT -8 sam said:

just another update: 2 yrs, 11 months post injury

some fairly astounding things are happening, although in super slo mo, I must report the feeling in my left foot is coming back recently, this morning I awoke after having a good 6 hour sleep and I could feel blood pumping in my left foot so I curled my toes fairly easily, I could do before but it took concentration and time to do. today muscles their seem to be responding. doing much more with left hand also, it assists my right hand now when doing things instead of doing nothing. yay!

is this the 3 yr post injury where things become a bit easier feeling, muscles relax and respond fairly quickly and are stronger?

It's Sam's 3 year post marker. none other can compare! It does sound satisfying.

sam likes this

I step in the water, but the water has moved on...

moco Advanced Member Posts: 352 Post Likes Received: 409 Date Joined: November 2016 Injury: Wife of incomplete C4-C7 Date Injured: July 2012 Member is: Offline Send PM	building muscle in recovery May 19, 2018 1:34:39 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by moco on May 19, 2018 1:34:39 GMT -8 So happy for you Sam. It's a slow game - but so worth it.
	sam likes this

sam Advanced Member Posts: 558 Post Likes Received: 512 Date Joined: August 2016 Injury: incomplete C3, C4, C5 multiple fractures Date Injured: 06/24/2015 Member is: Offline Send PM	building muscle in recovery May 19, 2018 7:03:34 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by sam on May 19, 2018 7:03:34 GMT -8 my left hand isn't working well today, strange, doesn't seem to have its normal flexibility, cant hold things with it like I could yesterday, does anyone else have daily changes in their body functionality? it is very frustrating.

moco
Advanced Member

Posts: 352

Post Likes Received: 409
Date Joined: November 2016
Injury: Wife of incomplete C4-C7
Date Injured: July 2012

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery May 20, 2018 0:30:50 GMT -8

Quote

Post by moco on May 20, 2018 0:30:50 GMT -8

Peter definitely does (have daily changes in functionality). Frustratingly the weather can affect his muscle tone and pain levels quite a bit. The current spell of gorgeous sunshine in the UK is making him feel extra tight - therefore affects what he can do. His right hand is clawed but sometimes looser than others depending on his spasticity level.
Do you find that you don't sweat the same way you used to sam? Peter doesn't sweat at all ( he was a big sweater pre SCI and to keep him comfortable in hot weather we have to use a towel round his neck to emulate the cooling function of sweating.
To keep him completely comfortable a constant temperature of around 18/20C would be optimum! Sucks.

sam likes this

sam
Advanced Member

Posts: 558

Post Likes Received: 512
Date Joined: August 2016
Injury: incomplete C3, C4, C5 multiple fractures
Date Injured: 06/24/2015

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery May 20, 2018 12:38:23 GMT -8

Quote

Post by sam on May 20, 2018 12:38:23 GMT -8

May 20, 2018 0:30:50 GMT -8 moco said:

Peter definitely does (have daily changes in functionality). Frustratingly the weather can affect his muscle tone and pain levels quite a bit. The current spell of gorgeous sunshine in the UK is making him feel extra tight - therefore affects what he can do. His right hand is clawed but sometimes looser than others depending on his spasticity level.
Do you find that you don't sweat the same way you used to sam ? Peter doesn't sweat at all ( he was a big sweater pre SCI

and to keep him comfortable in hot weather we have to use a towel round his neck to emulate the cooling function of sweating.
To keep him completely comfortable a constant temperature of around 18/20C would be optimum! Sucks.

I sweat at times but not normally, I seem to sweat better on my right side, so my sweat functionality is impaired. I also seem to be a lover of heat because a good constant temp for me is 26-28, cold weather(24 or less) tightens me right up. Peter seems to be affected to the opposite or opposing side of my symptoms. I was working my left hand more so maybe the muscles are tired in that hand.

tarabev
Member

Posts: 170

Post Likes Received: 173
Date Joined: January 2017
Injury: C5/6 Walker
Date Injured: 1998

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery May 20, 2018 19:15:10 GMT -8

Quote

Post by tarabev on May 20, 2018 19:15:10 GMT -8

May 19, 2018 7:03:34 GMT -8 sam said:

my left hand isn't working well today, strange, doesn't seem to have its normal flexibility, cant hold things with it like I could yesterday, does anyone else have daily changes in their body functionality? it is very frustrating.

Your question got me thinking about myself and how I function....my right hand (dominant hand) with my right side of my body has always been a bit weaker since becoming a quad and your question has made me ask myself if those weaknesses are worse at any given times and yes they are. I dont really notice nowadays because its now been 20years like this.
Ok....my right hand which doesnt open properly and my right foot which has foot drop is worse when colder but Ive found my body likes high humidity, all movement is better when warmer....luckily for me, I have really good grip even if that grip does tend to tire after a while....hence why I like typing and not using a pen lol
Back when there was still recovering movement, yes, there were days when it seemed as though I had taken a backwards step which at the time was frightening because I wanted so desperately to keep recovering more movement but looking back later, I realised that maybe the weather was different, I hadnt slept as well, just those things made the difference to whether my body changed in functionality.
Another thing could be making a difference, if on the days when you have better flexibility, if you do more on those days, it stands to reason that the next day, your body will be more tired...its how my body works.
I also dont sweat nowadays when I used to sweat very easily, which can be nuisance in our hot summers over here but cold showers are very helpful for bringing my body temp down.

Sam...its really great how you still have improvement happening, just dont panic if you seem to have setbacks, its probably just your bodies way of coping, it doesnt mean that the recovered movement has disappeared never to come again.

sam, moco, and 1 more like this

sam Advanced Member Posts: 558 Post Likes Received: 512 Date Joined: August 2016 Injury: incomplete C3, C4, C5 multiple fractures Date Injured: 06/24/2015 Member is: Offline Send PM	building muscle in recovery Jun 12, 2018 11:45:23 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by sam on Jun 12, 2018 11:45:23 GMT -8 doing pt on my own is hurting pretty bad, has anyone used an acute physical rehab facility as an inpatient or outpatient and if so, did it get you back to walking again quicker and how was the experience?

tetra
Advanced Member

Posts: 815

Post Likes Received: 942
Date Joined: November 2016
Injury: C5-7 Incomplete
Date Injured: 5/28/2008

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery Jun 12, 2018 18:58:48 GMT -8

Quote

Post by tetra on Jun 12, 2018 18:58:48 GMT -8

Jun 12, 2018 11:45:23 GMT -8 sam said:

doing pt on my own is hurting pretty bad, has anyone used an acute physical rehab facility as an inpatient or outpatient and if so, did it get you back to walking again quicker and how was the experience?

Sam, I was in inpatient rehab for 6 months. Certainly they helped, but I made better progress after I got home and started tailoring my workouts to my own needs. The PTs tended to underestimate me, or overestimate- like the one who insisted I walk with one cane. In 10 years I've never even gotten completely safe with a walker! Exercising on mats on the floor has been great, also crawling with some knee guards.

Every problem I had was attributed to my SCI when I actually had some structural damage that made it impossible for me to develop good balance. Once I was on my own and thinking about myself I looked for ways to straighten out the structural distortions with exercises and chiropractic care. I've made slow progress even in my 10th year. 2018! Yes!

I also found personal trainers can be a great resource. Not knowing much about SCI they just analyze my needs same as other people and sometimes that is a very good thing.

If you are hurting, can you figure out why?

tarabev likes this

I step in the water, but the water has moved on...

tarabev
Member

Posts: 170

Post Likes Received: 173
Date Joined: January 2017
Injury: C5/6 Walker
Date Injured: 1998

Member is: Offline
Send PM

building muscle in recovery Jun 12, 2018 23:06:09 GMT -8

Quote

Post by tarabev on Jun 12, 2018 23:06:09 GMT -8

I would agree with Tetra, mind you, I broke my neck back in '98' and back then, the rehab facilities here were focused on only teaching wheelchair skills.

There is another option Sam.....maybe look into hiring a private physio, depending on the cost of course, the physiotherapist I got to help me learn to walk again was one who had worked with stroke patients and she was great, I saw her for an hour a day, 4 times a week, the rest of the time I just kept up with the things she told me to concentrate on.

As for your hurting......do you think that you're probably pushing yourself too hard? The problem with an sci is that it can be hard to tell what ones limit is because everything is changed from how it was before the injury. And if you are pushing yourself too hard, that can be detrimental to improvement.

moco likes this

Site Map	Site Policies	Helpful Links
Home	Terms of Service	Forum Features
About Us	Privacy Policy	Site Discussion
Account	Rules	Server Status
New Posts	Report Abuse	Mobile App

building muscle in recovery

Post by tetra on Nov 8, 2017 8:10:29 GMT -8

Post by sam on Dec 3, 2017 17:03:55 GMT -8

Post by younggun on Dec 3, 2017 20:42:58 GMT -8

Post by DJ on Dec 4, 2017 4:15:27 GMT -8

Post by sam on Jan 22, 2018 13:06:24 GMT -8

Post by sam on May 18, 2018 8:28:22 GMT -8

Post by tetra on May 18, 2018 12:19:47 GMT -8

Post by moco on May 19, 2018 1:34:39 GMT -8

Post by sam on May 19, 2018 7:03:34 GMT -8

Post by moco on May 20, 2018 0:30:50 GMT -8

Post by sam on May 20, 2018 12:38:23 GMT -8

Post by tarabev on May 20, 2018 19:15:10 GMT -8

Post by sam on Jun 12, 2018 11:45:23 GMT -8

Post by tetra on Jun 12, 2018 18:58:48 GMT -8

Post by tarabev on Jun 12, 2018 23:06:09 GMT -8

Like Us On Facebook

Help Support The Forum