KevRider Posted November 24, 2019 My lft leg is braced and was petty much useless. Quote Link to comment
Willis Posted November 25, 2019 But riding again Kev and that is great! My dream would be to ski down any kind of hill again one more time but with this left leg only 5 to 10% there that likely will never happen, unassisted anyway. Everything is pretty darn ok otherwise. Wishing you many satisfying hours in the saddle! Quote Link to comment
heathber Posted November 25, 2019 Will sometimes we need to find a different way to do things. These sit down ski options look amazing fun https://www.brasski.org/sit-down-skiing.html#.XduADdVxV9M worth finding out about anyway. Kev I'm so glad you got back in the saddle. Keep working on the left leg, it may yet decide to be helpful. The less bracing you can use the quicker it will be at trying to be useful. But you need to balance function with safety. Bracing will hold the leg still and out of the way but it also prevents the muscles from working, remember the more you use a brace the more dependent on it you become. Quote Link to comment
KevRider Posted November 25, 2019 This was one 5 weeks after stroke. 07/28/19 had a break thru and left leg is slowly coming back!11/25/19 as I write this I ride with no brace now. Quote Link to comment
Willis Posted November 26, 2019 19 hours ago, heathber said: Will sometimes we need to find a different way to do things. These sit down ski options look amazing fun https://www.brasski.org/sit-down-skiing.html#.XduADdVxV9M worth finding out about anyway. Kev I'm so glad you got back in the saddle. Keep working on the left leg, it may yet decide to be helpful. The less bracing you can use the quicker it will be at trying to be useful. But you need to balance function with safety. Bracing will hold the leg still and out of the way but it also prevents the muscles from working, remember the more you use a brace the more dependent on it you become. Wow ! Yes thank you Heather! I know this exists even right here in my home state of Michigan. I just have never taken the next step to look into it. That link you sent breaks the ice though. Next I will have to see how bad I really, really want it. Before my stroke I thought I would easily ski into my early 70's possibly. I'm 69 until May. My doctor and I were teasing back and forth about my wanting to be skiing and his comment was "Is that something I needed to keep doing" as I was getting up in the tears now. Thanks again for the link. Quote Link to comment
heathber Posted November 26, 2019 yep I had that talk with the heart Doc about my scuba diving after the stroke. I did go back to diving a little bit, but once we understood more about my physiological issues, I decided it was too much of a risk and let it go. but not before I'd done enough to prove to myself that I could if I wanted to. Quote Link to comment
KevRider Posted November 26, 2019 I used to Scuba too. It was skin diving in tropical water. I think its pretty brave after a stroke its dangerous enough before! Quote Link to comment
heathber Posted November 26, 2019 Hi Kev, I was a Scuba addict. Wreck/Tech diver qualified to 55m and working on my trimix certification for 60m+, when I had the stroke. So I wasn't going to give up easily. I stroked after a bend, diving WWII wrecks in Scapa Flow (Scotland). Stroke was triggered by physical exertion not the bend. But it meant post stroke investigation was about why the bend as well as why the stroke. turned out I have a high tendency to pleuro shunt, which allows return of unfiltered venous blood to the heart and hence N2 bubbles into the brain. adding that to existing stroke brain damage is a recipe for disaster even though physically I can manage the diving. There's a great group called Disabled Divers Association who helped me get my skills back in the pool. Hence my suggestion to Will that he look at adaptions for skiing. Quote Link to comment
alansd Posted December 5, 2019 On 11/25/2019 at 4:40 AM, KevRider said: This was one 5 weeks after stroke. 07/28/19 had a break thru and left leg is slowly coming back!11/25/19 as I write this I ride with no brace now. what do you attribute the breakhrough to? Quote Link to comment
KevRider Posted December 6, 2019 My physio found that my ham-string and calf muscles were contracted so she did a big & painful stretch of them. Then various exercises and the muscle strength started to regain strength. My right hamstring can pull 30lb but me left was only 7lb now its up to 23lb 🙂 My physios have been great! Quote Link to comment
heathber Posted December 6, 2019 muscle contracture is very common after stroke because that is the "safety" position of muscles with bad nerve connection. I see my neuro physio regularly mostly so that he can release the muscles that have gone into protection mode. It's important to keep stretching so that muscles do not actually shorten. Even with the work of the neuro physio I ended up having muscle lengthening surgery to left quad and calf. Quote Link to comment
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