A great day of therapy, and continued progress!

Its another Sunday night which means another post on my progress! Today I visited my therapists house for another grueling therapy session. What a GREAT SESSION it was and a great week for that matter. This week we have noticed even MORE MOVEMENT! In the past I have been able to kick my legs out a little if I was laying on my back with my quads on a stretch. I was able to flex my quads and kick my legs out from the knees. Holding the contraction is still something I struggle with, but I'm getting better at it each time. This week at my house we started working on my leg extensions sitting up (without my quads on a stretch) AND I DID IT!! the movement was not a lot, but with my feet off the ground and sitting on the edge of my workout mat, I was able to move my leg out a few degrees. The movement wasn't great, but it was movement nonetheless! In the past, and even today I sometimes cheat(on accident) and use my hips to move my legs. My therapist is QUICK to stop me from cheating and to focus on contracting JUST the specific muscle group for the movement. Let me just say, I don't cheat on PURPOSE! Its REALLY hard to concentrate on contracting the right muscle, and sometimes I contract the wrong muscle which carries over and moves my leg slightly. I've tried to explain what the feeling is like, but its so hard. Next time you do a SLIGHT movement, move your fingers, raise your arm over your head, walk. What do you "THINK" to allow that to happen? You dont...it happens automatically without you even thinking about it. For me however, I have to concentrate on contracting every muscle in order to move my leg...its the HARDEST thing to do. But I will get better at it in time.

I am making REMARKABLE PROGRESS. Some of the greatest advancements that I have made is in my sensation. My proprioception (which is the ability to know where an object is in space without looking at it) is phenomenal. Close your eyes and have someone raise a hand over your head....you know what they are doing, because you can feel it! In the past, I could not tell where my legs were or if they were moving. Today, I can tell you exactly what they are doing and what is being moved! I CAN FEEL THEM!! Praise God!! I feel that week by week, I am getting stronger and I know I still have a LONG road of recovery ahead of me.

Since the weather has warmed up here in Florida I have started doing pool therapy. My therapist (who by the way is amazing) has a pool at her house and it is set up perfectly for rehab. Today I was able to move my legs much better since I was in a gravity eliminated environment. I did bicycle kicks in the water, and leg presses against the side of the pool. I am excited to start doing more pool therapy and adding that to my workout regiment.

I have decided to post a video of me walking in my next post! I tried to get it done today, but the pool therapy WORE ME OUT! I will have my mom film me walking in the driveway to show everyone my progress. I sure hope I walk ok and I don't fall! I am petrified of falling! My body can not with stand anymore broken bones. Some of my problems with walking is just overcoming my fear of falling. I will get there in time! So stay posted for next sundays blog post! I hope to have a video of my progress!
I LOVE YOU ALL
SO MUCH IN HIM,
BRENT