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Old 03-09-2014, 11:15 AM
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catra121 catra121 is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Illinois
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15 yr Member
catra121 catra121 is offline
Senior Member
catra121's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,785
15 yr Member
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I don't know anything about a slipped disc and what you should do about that...but I can tell you about some of the exercises I did when I was stuck in a wheel chair for almost a year and couldn't stand or walk at all. You may be past some of these...but they were really good for helping me push myself but in a controlled way.

1. Started with chair push ups to strengthen my arms. You sit in the chair and just push up on your arms to raise you butt up off the seat, hold for 5 seconds, then down again. Needed to strengthen my arms (which also had RSD) so that I could hold myself up when I got to the standing part.

2. Heel and ankle raises while seated and drawing the alphabet in the air with my feet. Just getting used to moving my ankle in a purposeful way was important. I had to focus on deliberate movements and get control of my RSD limbs again.

3. Graduated to standing at the counter. I would sit in a chair in front of the counter and then stand at it (first using my hands to support me and gradually moving to hands at my sides). I started in a corner and would do 5 seconds at a time (you're probably way past that) and moved up to a couple minutes.

4. Then it was marching in the corner and leg lifts in the corner and standing on one foot in the corner. All of these holding on first and then without holding on.

5. Standing in front of the sink and reaching toward the window (or wall I guess), alternating arms and doing it 10 times with each arm (then 20, then 30, etc). This helps to regain balance and getting used to weight shifts on your feet.

6. Then I did walking along the counter in the kitchen holding on with one hand. Then we kicked it up a notch with grape vining my feet (cross overs I guess is the best way to describe this) as I walked. We tried skipping...but I have never been able to do this as the pain is too severe.

7. Then it was laps around the dining room with my walker. First for 5 minutes, then 10, then 15, etc until I was up to over an hour. Yeah...boring as heck...walking in circles around the dining room for an hour...but I got a good playlist on my iPod for it (oldies music from the 50s and 60s starting with...wait for it...Walk Like a Man).

This took over 6 months to get me this far...but you are probably in better shape that I started out because I couldn't stand or walk at all. I hope some of that helps you...just make sure that whatever you do...you are safe. That's why all of this was done by a counter that I could hold on to...need to be safe.
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"Thanks for this!" says:
Brambledog (03-09-2014), PamelaJune (03-09-2014)