| When
Elliot
came
for
an
evaluation
at
the
Challenge
Center
some
time
after
his
stroke,
he
had
already
made
amazing
changes
in
his
life
and
improvements
in
his
function.
His
achievements
had
led
him
to
believe
that
he
had
reached
a
plateau.
He
could
not
have
been
more
mistaken.
Elliot’s
major
difficulties
were
centered
on
his
poor
balance
and
the
weakness
of
his
entire
left
side.
Because
the
weight
he
had
to
put
on
his
arm
was
too
much
for
his
wrist
to
handle,
he
walked
with
a
crutch
that
had
a
platform
on
which
he
rested
his
elbow.
While
walking,
Elliot
used
abnormal
movements
to
compensate
for
a
weak
trunk
and
left
leg.
Unfortunately,
these
same
abnormal
movements
that
“helped”
to
move
his
leg
also
threw
him
off
balance,
and
he
was
falling
almost
once
a
week.
Elliot tended to rock his trunk to the right to “help” swing his left leg, which not only knocked him over at times, but also caused him severe back and hip pain. You can imagine what doing 1,000 forceful side bends a day would do to your spine. Pain in his left leg also limited him to sitting less than 30 minutes at a time, which interfered with the support groups he runs for recovering addicts. This pain was largely due to his weak left knee hyper-extending (bending backwards) every time he stepped onto his leg. Since receiving physical therapy at the Challenge Center, Elliot has made dramatic improvements. He hasn’t fallen for months. Just this simple accomplishment would make most stroke survivors very happy, but Elliot has achieved other positive results as well. Because he has developed enough control on his left side so that he doesn’t need those abnormal movements to walk, Elliot no longer complains of back pain and is able to sit through several support-group sessions without leg pain. Not only has he met his goal of being able to walk with a cane “standing up straight” but has surpassed it. He is now walking indoors with no assistive device at all and plans to work towards walking outdoors with both hands free. The confidence Elliot now has in his movement has spilled over to other parts of his life as well. He has moved out of the dorm- style room he occupied at the recovery center where he volunteered, and lives in his own apartment nearby so he can continue to run his support groups. He is working towards his GED and is planning a career as a paralegal. |
