Irony of Spinal Cord Injury and Fitness #fitfam

Yesterday, I tweeted When recovering from spinal cord injury, every day is leg day, and core day, and arm day and ____ day. #fitfam whatever your day, be great

I follow, and have quite a few followers who are fitness oriented.  Certain days are designated for certain types of workouts. These days are called, "Leg Day," "Chest Day," etc.   And this is generally done to maintain the fitness of these areas.  I'm also sure the exercises for these days are customized to the needs of that area - whether these areas only need maintenance, or some extra work. 

For those of us who have regained some mobility and strength, it's important to do work on all areas each day, but go through weeks/months with the emphasis on a particular area.  For many people, including me, that would be the legs - but depending on my situation, exercises were changed to emphasize different parts of the leg.

And I walk - I try to walk at least 10 blocks each day, sometimes two miles or more. I have noticed that when I don't go out for a walk for a couple of days, my muscles stiffen and I cannot walk as well as long.  

Here's where my tweet comes in.  As much as I can on a daily basis (and sometimes the muscles just need to rest, but something everyday - doesn't have to be excruciating every day) - not only do I work on my legs, but I also work on my core and arms.  I work with a kettlebell and plank each day - in addition to my walks.

I was working with a kettlebell even while in a wheelchair, and at the hospital, my occupational therapist always had me on weight training exercises.  This is because the stronger the upper body is, the less pressure it puts on the legs.  Also, once I was walking quite competently, my balance was still suffering. This is when a physical therapist had me start planking to strengthen my core.  I'm convinced that planking has helped me regain my balance tremendously, but being above the legs, I'm convinced that it has also helped me with my walking by placing even less pressure on the legs to do the work. 

Spinal cord injury also wrecks havoc on bowel functions.  I'm very fortunate that my bowel functions returned enough that I no longer need to be on a bowel maintenance program/routine.  However, this is also due to a change in diet.  I consume much more fiber now than before I got sick.  So, I am eating healthier now than before I got sick. 

I still have mobility issues - my legs are stiff; I still have occassional spinal cord related bowel issues; I still can't run "full speed" for more than the distance to cross a street.

What's the irony?  I think I am more fit now than before I got sick.  I wasn't out of shape before, but now, I eat better, and have more targeted workouts.  And when I was in the hospital, I lost over 20 pounds.  I've gained about 7 pounds back, but an increase in waist size has not accompanied the pounds back. So the weight gain is probably due to muscle gain. 

Who I want to target with my Message of Hard Work and Deterrmination

I read another account, actually it was a comment made in another "Doctors said she wouldn't walk again, but did" story. The commentator commented that the story implied that that those who did not regain the ability to walk were lazy.

And that's not true.  Sometimes I am conflicted about sharing my story because I know it is not possible for some people to regain their ability to walk no matter how much they try. On the other hand, I want to reach out to those who have been diagnosed with Spinal Cord Injury and encourage them to work hard to try and walk again because many times, doctors cannot with absolute certainty, predict who will walk again and who will not walk again.

The following are my comments I made to this story:

When I was first told I had an incomplete injury, I thought that automatically meant I would walk again.  Ignorance was bliss in my case because at 7 weeks, I still couldn't wiggle my toes, and I also learned just because the injury is incomplete doesn't mean the person will walk again.  Fast forward and I can now walk again.  But it took a lot of hard work and determination, and I emphasize those points.  I know, sometimes, the wrong message is received by those who have not personally dealt with SCI  - that with enough hard work and determination, anybody with SCI can recover.  And that's not true. Some people will not regain the ability to walk no matter how much they exercise. Who I want to target with my message are those who have recently been diagnosed with SCI and perhaps have been told they might not, or will not walk again.  It is this group I want to encourage to try and be determined, and not give up because they might have an injury that might enable them to walk again - and exercise and determination may be the deciding factors on whether they will walk again or not.

The Benefit of Exercise

When I was in a wheelchair, I exercised multiple times a day.  For me, I am convinced it enabled me to walk again sooner, but there were other benefits as well.

1. Arm strength.  Many people don't realize just how much strength it takes to wheel your wheelchair. As long as you don't have an injury that require you to use a motorized wheelchair, you will probably be using a manual wheelchair, and when you build up that arm strength, you will be able to tell the difference.

2.  Exercise still burns calories.  Because I was in a wheelchair and wasn't mobile, I think my exercises kept me from gaining any of my weight back.

3.  Exercise helps internal body functions.  Although no longer confined to a wheelchair, I think my daily exercise continue to help my bowel movements.  Although it took five months for me to regain some voluntary control over my bowel movements, once I started getting this function back, exercise, along with a change in diet to include more fiber, has helped me keep regular.

4. Exercise is just good for you. Period.

Feels like arthritis to me

A couple of years before baseball player JT Snow retired, he explained how, when he was young, could field ground balls easily, but now that he was getting older, fielding ground balls was tough on his back.  JT Snow happens to be my favorite baseball player of all time - a story I will post tonight in my blog, http://authorstevefujita.blogspot.com/ 

I'm a couple of years older than Snow, and when I was in my mid/late thirties, when Snow made that statement - though I don't play professional sports - I remembered back joking with one of the supervisors at work stating that when you pass 35 years old - sometimes you just wake up with the back hurting.

How does it realte to my spinal cord injury.  When I woke up from my coma, I couldn't make a fist.  Part of the reason was because my fingers were swollen like crazy. I don't know what the other reason was, but the effect was that my joints hurt. And once I was able to make a fist, it hurt to make one.  Until October, it hurt each time I made a fist.  Around October, the pain started to subside, and it only hurt in the morning, and now, it doesn't hurt when I make a fist.

My knees hurt now, kind of the way my knuckles did last Fall.  Six months ago, when I first started walking outdoors for longer than a block, my quad muscles and knees would ache after taking a couple of steps.  This went on for months.  Over the last three weeks or so, the pain has been gradually reducing to the knees and not as intense.

What does the pain feel like? Kind of what I expect arthritis to feel like - the joints hurt whenever I bend them - and the muscles are stiff.  And I can't move my legs very fast - I walk like a stereotypical elderly person with a cane. 

I thnk the key is to move around a lot, and loosen the muscles and joints.  I take at least one daily walk during the weekdays, and 1  - 2 walks on the weekends.  I think stretching out these muscles has helped me improve tremendously.  And how do the knee joints feel now - it feels like my knuckles in October.  I believe in a couple of months, the knees will be as flexible and pain free as my hands.