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Physical Disability Management- The Wins And Maintenance

Writer's picture: Annie KrollAnnie Kroll
Annie on a paddle board with her hands in the air

I recently was able to go stand up paddle boarding, and was the only person in my group who managed to stand up in the ocean! It took a lot of work to get to a point where my legs, arms, and core were strong enough to do that, so I thought I would share what I do. This week, I want to share what maintenance I do to keep my legs strong and elastic. I want to note, that this list comes after I have cut out a lot of tools that I no longer needed so this is my minimal list. If this does well, I can make another post about extra modalities I use to address my chronic pain and leg strength.

The first thing I do regularly is physical therapy. I go to physical therapy once every other week to work on leg strength, core strength, and to address back pain. Physical therapy has been a consistent appointment for me since 2016 when I first got diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia. While in physical therapy, I mainly do stretches for my hamstrings, and get cupping done to loosen my lower back. I have chronic lower back pain because the affected gene that results in my hereditary spastic paraplegia results in my leg muscles being too tight. While I can take breaks from physical therapy, I probably can't ever stop completely because unless there is a cure that can address large genetic deletion in the future, my pain and leg tightness will never go away. It will either stay the same, or progress as I get older.


My other semi regular appointment is the chiropractor. I get everything adjusted while I am there: knees, ankles, low back, upper back, hips, neck, wrist, and more. I start to feel tight after sitting for too long, standing for too long, or walking for too long. The chiropractor helps to reset all of the joints and vertebrae in my body that can become displaced due to tight muscles. I go to the chiropractor once every other week to help rebalance my body, and address my lower back pain. Combining the chiropractor and physical therapy has been one of the best ways I have found to limit my pain on average.


Lastly, I have to stay in shape on my own. I have been somewhat stubborn about this because I do not enjoy having a daily exercise routine. However, I try to do something at least once a week because I can run the risk of losing leg muscle elasticity if I do not stay active. I enjoy going on walks either at the park or mild hiking trails while I play a mobile walking game I have mentioned before called Pokemon Go. I also try to go to the gym at least once a week, but when I have medical flare ups or busy school seasons that number decreases. While at the gym, I primarily focus on either the elliptical, lifting weights, squats, leg lunges, the stair climber, and stretching. No matter what I do at the gym, I have to end it with stretching. The goal with the gym is to build leg strength, and as a bonus targeting my arms. With the walking, I try to focus on endurance. Keeping all of these things in the back of my head can feel overwhelming while I also am trying to focus on the rest of my life like school, eventual employment, and more. However, I am thankful that I am able to manage my hereditary spastic paraplegia at all.


I recently have started to notice that I have gotten stronger. It has been little things, like having an easier time walking around the mall, or being able to do more lunges when I go to the gym. However, my recent paddle boarding experience really highlights just how much work I have done since 2016, and even within the last few years. Before I went out on the water, I had just assumed I wouldn't be able to stand on the board, but I'd paddle out and try. However, once I was out in the water, I started to feel confident, and wanted to try. It definitely took a few tries before I got the hang of it, but I eventually did stand. I realized that while having a physical disability means that I might have to put in more effort than most to walk, I can still try to do new mobility related things. I am excited that I could feel what it was like to get strong enough to do something because that feeling is not very common for me.


 

Thank you for reading about what my disability maintenance looks like, and for celebrating my paddle boarding win with me. If you have any questions, at @Anniekrollblog over on Instagram or Facebook. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next week!

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