The Next Step
Yesterday Chester had a very intense and focused session with June, his Occupational Therapist who truly understands the concept of "the resilient edge of resistance". She knows how to get Chester to ride that edge and reminds him to keep challenging what he believes his body to be capable of.
When we told her that Chester has been walking consistently and strongly, she then invited him to begin refining his gait. She validated that he had come very far in his walking abilities, and recognized that he has worked hard to do so. Then, she pointed out that his current gait pattern is one that is dependent on compensation. To swing his right leg forward, he uses the hip and lat muscles to hike up the leg and throw it forward. It works, and was necessary to begin walking. Now, with his strength and confidence, she invited him to begin developing a more natural walking style that will activate more muscle bodies in his leg and prevent other muscle groups from the stress of compensation. She modeled the natural gait pattern for Chester and walked with him a bit. Once he had a clear understanding of the changes to be made, he quickly was able to start integrating them. The outcome is a smaller step but a more natural flow and eventually he will be able to start increasing the length of his stride. She also made him a new brace that will keep his arm extended and straight while walking, so that his arm and wrist don't go into curled tension as is the tendency. This woman works miracles with duct tape and foam!
June then had Chester work on getting up and down from seated without pushing off from his left arm and leg, as was the style he has developed. Again, it worked for a time and now he is ready to start activating his right leg more fully and trusting the balance between his legs. They worked on the edge of the massage table, practicing the bow forward, activation from both legs, the rise to standing, and the graceful return to sitting. It is exciting to be moving on to the next steps of rehabilitation, from basic ambulation to more refined motion patterns. Chester, of course, welcomes the challenge and will be quickly integrating his new learnings into his daily movement.
Today Chester spent the day with his friend Gil, so that I could go to work for a day. They had a full and fun day, including a trip to the shoe store (where they were reportedly flashed by a young man in a red tutu skirt) and to the gourmet market where they smelled cheese and ate some raw ahi tuna. Gil is a gourmet cook so there was a delicious dinner upon my return home, and Chester even got some time on the massage table. Yum Yum.
It is now just past 8 pm, and Chester is comfortable in bed. I've just read him the above posting, and he approved it for posting. It is a funny dynamic, that I am called to write about his daily activities and state of being. Sometimes it feels invasive, or that I am projecting my words onto him, or that I am writing about mundane details and missing the good stuff. But recently, upon looking at the "map of visitors", and seeing the timetable of your visits, stretching from Oakland to Melbourne, I am reminded that I am not writing into a void. I remember that so many of Chester's friends and loved ones depend on the blog as their primary connection, and that even the small details are rich windows into our days. Again, I write here in service to all of you, so if there is information you want or a picture you are aching to see or something you are curious about, let me know and I'll do my best. Pictures from this week will be posted on Saturday when I get home- I left the USB cable to upload pictures on my desk. . . ah technology- It only seems to work when you've got all the parts!
So as Chester begins taking "the next step" in his rehabilitation, finding balance and grace, activating his right side more and more, and developing a more easy gait, let us all be reminded to love our bodies. Chester has been issuing the call, encouraging all of us to honor and celebrate our bodies as they are- not taking two-handedness or two-footedness for granted, staying fully conscious during challenging times, and finding grace and flow with each step. May we All savor and deepen our own embodiment, whatever that might look like.
When we told her that Chester has been walking consistently and strongly, she then invited him to begin refining his gait. She validated that he had come very far in his walking abilities, and recognized that he has worked hard to do so. Then, she pointed out that his current gait pattern is one that is dependent on compensation. To swing his right leg forward, he uses the hip and lat muscles to hike up the leg and throw it forward. It works, and was necessary to begin walking. Now, with his strength and confidence, she invited him to begin developing a more natural walking style that will activate more muscle bodies in his leg and prevent other muscle groups from the stress of compensation. She modeled the natural gait pattern for Chester and walked with him a bit. Once he had a clear understanding of the changes to be made, he quickly was able to start integrating them. The outcome is a smaller step but a more natural flow and eventually he will be able to start increasing the length of his stride. She also made him a new brace that will keep his arm extended and straight while walking, so that his arm and wrist don't go into curled tension as is the tendency. This woman works miracles with duct tape and foam!
June then had Chester work on getting up and down from seated without pushing off from his left arm and leg, as was the style he has developed. Again, it worked for a time and now he is ready to start activating his right leg more fully and trusting the balance between his legs. They worked on the edge of the massage table, practicing the bow forward, activation from both legs, the rise to standing, and the graceful return to sitting. It is exciting to be moving on to the next steps of rehabilitation, from basic ambulation to more refined motion patterns. Chester, of course, welcomes the challenge and will be quickly integrating his new learnings into his daily movement.
Today Chester spent the day with his friend Gil, so that I could go to work for a day. They had a full and fun day, including a trip to the shoe store (where they were reportedly flashed by a young man in a red tutu skirt) and to the gourmet market where they smelled cheese and ate some raw ahi tuna. Gil is a gourmet cook so there was a delicious dinner upon my return home, and Chester even got some time on the massage table. Yum Yum.
It is now just past 8 pm, and Chester is comfortable in bed. I've just read him the above posting, and he approved it for posting. It is a funny dynamic, that I am called to write about his daily activities and state of being. Sometimes it feels invasive, or that I am projecting my words onto him, or that I am writing about mundane details and missing the good stuff. But recently, upon looking at the "map of visitors", and seeing the timetable of your visits, stretching from Oakland to Melbourne, I am reminded that I am not writing into a void. I remember that so many of Chester's friends and loved ones depend on the blog as their primary connection, and that even the small details are rich windows into our days. Again, I write here in service to all of you, so if there is information you want or a picture you are aching to see or something you are curious about, let me know and I'll do my best. Pictures from this week will be posted on Saturday when I get home- I left the USB cable to upload pictures on my desk. . . ah technology- It only seems to work when you've got all the parts!
So as Chester begins taking "the next step" in his rehabilitation, finding balance and grace, activating his right side more and more, and developing a more easy gait, let us all be reminded to love our bodies. Chester has been issuing the call, encouraging all of us to honor and celebrate our bodies as they are- not taking two-handedness or two-footedness for granted, staying fully conscious during challenging times, and finding grace and flow with each step. May we All savor and deepen our own embodiment, whatever that might look like.
posted by Chrys Curtis-Fawley at 7:56 PM
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