Making Physiotherapy My Life
February 23rd, 2007 @ 6:59 am

As I’ve been having problems with my leg seizing up for quite sometime, I decided to tell a doctor about it and found her very positive.

Mum told her that I had cerebral palsy, and the doctor said that because of my physical disability I have to make physiotherapy my life even if it means that I have to make myself do it.

Well now that I have been to the physiotherapist, she given me a list of lower leg exercises which I have to do twice a day and they are:

While Lying On Back Do:

Hamstring Stretches and Hold for Thirty Seconds (two times)

Active Straight Leg Raises (five times)

Slide Each Leg to the Side and Back (five times)

With Knees Bent:

Lift Bottom (five times)

Rock Knees Side to Side (five times)

Right Calf Stretches – Pull Foot Up While Knee is Straight

While Sitting:

Push Right Heel Down and Raise Toes

Lift Left Foot to Straighten Knee (five times)

Also when I was a kid I didn’t have problems getting about as I was only mildly affected by cerebral palsy and I went to the physiotherapist on and off.

I also wasn’t aware back then of what I was in for further down the track, and I admit that I wasn’t doing the exercises at home.

I’m not so niave about this now as knowing that I now got more incentive to do them: as my goal is to get back into training and trialing.

General

2 Comments

  1. Liss
    said,

    February 23, 2007 at 10:25 am

    I’m glad you have made this commitment Jo, I know the problem with your leg seizing up gave you (and Mum) a scare. I hope you find the determination to stick with the exercises and that they will be beneficial for you. I know your incentive is to improve your mobility so you can work with Ilse; perhaps a small reward to yourself after exercise will also help keep you focussed on your goal. I find this very effective in study – for example I reward myself with a movie, or some other treat when I have finished an assignment.

    Making physiotherapy your life is an important realisation. I think it is very easy for anyone to become complacent about their health, or situation and not do anything to improve it. I know I need to do more exercise than I’m doing now, if I want to prevent health problems later on as I get older.

  2. Jo
    said,

    February 23, 2007 at 6:30 pm

    Thanks Liss, as I found what you wrote very useful, as it is very interesting to hear or read other peoples perspectives.

    Also after reading what you wrote about rewarding yourself for doing things has made me think that training, and trialing Ilse myself would have to be my ultimate reward; but to get there I know that I’ll have to do the physiotherapy.

    I’ll also be following your example and will be rewarding myself by watching a movie too, as knowing that I have set myself quite a big goal to achieve.

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