I’ve recently revisited those days of being treated like a wishbone at Christmas dinner, only the exercises are less painful than those of my toddler- and childhood. I am convinced that my mother’s extended hands-on involvement from the outset has contributed to me still being uprightly mobile today. Of late, however, there’s been a need to fine-tune mechanisms of stepping/rotation, which involves exercises to strengthen lower back and legs.
Though I am quite proactive with regard to health and wellness, I’ve not engaged in any formal ‘maintenance’ therapy program since I was a child and my mother ran the show, putting me through my paces several times a day until I was 12 or 13 at which point, the daily therapies were to become a thing of the past. I was required, however, to continue with stationary bicycle time along with weight lifting - a metal ‘boot’ with weight disks worn on the foot while seated in a sturdy chair. The leg was lifted as high as I could go and then stretched out; held to a 10 count. Each leg was exercised 5 times. Those, among a few other ‘do it yourself’ exercises were part of my youthful routine.
Today, at 64, I keep myself in shape with a range of exercises that actually happen as the result of daily housework chores; my goal has always been to be as mobile as I could be within the parameters of growing up with cerebral palsy and it’s amazing how limber I am thanks to brush scrubbing carpets and scrubbing kitchen and bathroom floors by hand. Because I have never had a fully ‘correct’ stepping mechanism for walking, I mimick how the hips are to move by ‘knee walking’ a few times a week. I knee walk around the living room while dusting tables and knick-knacks, then I push myself up to the standing position thanks to heavy furniture. It’s key that furniture does not move when I lean on or into it.
There are things that I should have/could have done differently to have ensured greater spine integrity; notable among them was dividing my time between walking and wheeling during university and during my work life. It wasn’t possible to use a wheelchair any sooner, even part time, as the schools I attended in my youth were not wheelchair accessible. One thing in my favour is that I have exceptional sitting posture — no slouching. A few times each day I do tummy tucking exercises and ‘pull’ myself up straighter and hold to a 10 count - several reps to improve core strength.
Recently, I was visited by a physiotherapist and her assistant, part of the Extra Mural’s team of clinicians who visit clients in the home, providing a range of therapeutic interventions. The New Brunswick Extra-Mural Program (EMP), known as the “hospital without walls’ is the provincial home healthcare program that provides services to New Brunswickers’ of all ages, in their homes (personal residence, special care home, nursing home).
The licensed physiotherapist, under her associate’s watchful eyes, did several range of motion exercises. I was pleased that I had such a good range to accommodate the passive exercises for the lower back and lower extremities.
The associate, a trained physiotherapy and occupational therapy assistant will be visiting me going forward, with the program developed by my physiotherapist — including several in home sessions, after which I would carry on with help from a friend or family member.
High school courses of physics, biology and math are requirements to undertake the physiotherapy or occupational therapy assistant program at NBCC or Eastern College. One must be flexible and adaptable with lots of patience. Good observation and organizational skills are critical. Most important is to be able to assist people who are under physical and emotional stress. Being able to work collaboratively as part of a team is also requisite. In some locations across this province and others, bilingualism would be a requirement to secure a position as a physiotherapy assistant. The demands on the Extra Mural Hospital system are becoming such that more assistants will be required. If someone in your world might be suited to such a job, point them in that direction. The rewards are manifold.
With a little ingenuity, it’s amazing what one can accomplish. In my situation, the nature of the implications of aging with cerebral palsy poses certain restrictions within the parameters of a therapy regimen. All is not lost however — I’ve enlisted a friend who will give a whole new meaning to ‘pulling your leg’, having watched my scrawny pins being worked over by a trained professional. I can only hope that she harbours no nefarious intent. I see the wheels turning from here.
Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her aging Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca
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