Anybody tried this or have other tricks to reprogram?

When Jan goes into mini-movement foot shuffling, she's learned to stop and in place do repetitive marching style leg lifts, bringing her knees up as high as she can. Then she steps forward, able to walk more effectively again.

We came up with this after reading about Dr. Jay Albert's discovery that tandem bicycling can be restorative for folks with Parkinson's, the story out of the Cleveland Clinic from a few year's back.

Trisha

Since the nerves involved in my segmental spinal myoclonus control my quads and hamstring muscles only I have been trying to get the other muscles strong enough to fight the jerking, tremors and cramping of them. Yesterday someone asked me if I was practicing to teach horses how to "prance" at work, they all know that after what has been going on these past 7 months that a good joke when I am not doing very well eases the stress a bit..
Dont ask me to talk or chew gum while I am doing my "I'm in control of you stupid leg you are not in control of me" gait as I have to focus very hard on getting the muscles to do what I want my leg to do.

Dr Becky Farley has developed BIG movements for PWP.

http://www.pwrgym.com/

http://news.todayinpt.com/article/20...0104/100310019

Jean

I understand that you're supposed to NOT concentrate on the movement but have a chant or song going with some cadence, to distract your brain.

Yes, you can re-program movement, I've been doing that little "trick" for years. I had to teach my left foot not to turn in and my knee to pick up in 7th grade after my diving accident. Several years ago, had to start teaching my brain to have balance by practiciing standing on one foot -while holding on to something. After a while, I was able to stand without holding on. (kayaking helped my balance too... I am sure)Now I teach my muscles to loosen up and move in the morning before getting out of bed. If you stretch a muscle out far enough...it will release. Dance is great...you have to reprogram your feet to do something other than just walk or run. It was a big challange, but I am so glad that I attempted it and then didn't quit after total embarrasement at how I moved.
Dance is something that I really look forward to now & I have even had a couple people comment that I am graceful..(...I was so pitifully clumsy and accident prone all my life after 7th grade...the word graceful was not a word anyone would have thought of around me...)..Life now is so different with the addition of just alittle l-dopa to my system.....even driving a car is easier. God is good