Boy, you sure explained that really well. I feel as if I know your family a little bit now.

Thank you for taking the time to put all of that into writing.

(((((((Shiney Sue))))))))

I think my stride is wider than before and my feet feel unsure of themselves. I guess it is a balance problem. The doctor has me stand and close my eyes and I can feel myself swaying somewhat...
Cathie

That's good info from Liza Jane. The wider your base of support, the more stable you are, so it can be good to walk with wide legs if your balance is bad, like she said. Also, when you turn your feet out, it makes your knees more stable, so this helps people who have some weakness or even sensory loss in their knees. You can "pretty up" your gait if you use a walker, because then the walker provides you with the extra stability. But most people don't want to fool with one unless they have to.

This helped me understand what is going on. Today I start Physical Therapy for strengthening exercises and hopefully a little electric stim to ease some of the pain. I'll be working on balance and core body strength. All painful areas for me, but I'm ready. I've had to be patient and wait for weeks now. They wanted me to get to 12 weeks in healing from the sacrum fractures before they started the pt. Now if we can just do this without cracking anything again. Wish me luck.

Billye

Since now I have issues in both legs I am really focusing on proper walking. I used to put the pressure on the good leg and that put too much stress. Even at the clinic for people with back or other issues we try to protect the bad part to not only create other issues. I have been really self talking even walking. I try to say to myself that though it hurts now trying to walk properly not doing it that way makes other issues happen.
Silverlady good luck. When I was at pt at the clinic I didn't realise how many things I did in a wrong way. Even how I picked up things. It takes practice.

I don't know how much of my secondary problem is due to core instability, but I know that a good deal of it is. Many of my core muscles just wouldn't work as a result of the damage, and since I didn't have physical therapy much secondary imbalance of mucles and additional instability eventually developed.

I just found a wonderful book. Even if a person can't do a lot of what it suggests, just knowing more about the body works helps work around things that can't be improved (without causing unnecessary extra damage), improve what can be improved, and recognize bad habits, damaging coping mechanisms, and myths that are damaging (for instance, stretching before warming up ).

Framework, by Nicholas A. DiNubile.

Good read too.

rose

Just the name of that book sounds good! Another great type of exercise for core stabilizers are the ball exercises -- the ones that use a great big ball that you sit on. Only, make sure you are stable enough not to fall off the ball! Or have someone spot you. There are video tapes of them, but you have to scale the exercises down to your level. Rose, as you describe you situation and stage of recovery, you sound like such an excellent candidate for physical therapy! Is that not available to you, or is that something that you do not want to do? I hope the question is not too personal.