Hi guys,

For those of us on this board who are able to exercise, what kind of excercise are you doing?
Walking? any swimming, i like the back stroke but i'm told nope, i'm lifiting my arms too far over my head and apparently the forward crawl is a complete no no.

Any Pilates? If so how long have you had your SCS, mine is in 6mths now and I couldn't imagine doing any else except walking and I was the person you'd see on the streets walking after dinner when I come in from work. I joined Pilates and managed that really wel, I liF
Walking is too difficult at the moment, apparently my leads have moved and I need to have some revision surgery to sort that out. Before all of this I was walking 2 miles a day and loving it.

I guess before all this crap with my back reaccured I did everything and anything I wanted, this included swimming hiking, walking, Pilates, gym, swimming, litteraly anything I wanted to do I did.

I'd like to hear your feed back if you have any.

All the best

Sophie,

Well, as for me it has been therapy exercises in a therapy pool, no strokes, just a two hour routine of first one and then another exercise. Bicycling I have resumed, and enjoy doing that with my wife, although I had to remove the toe straps from my pedals since my feet are a problem due to numbness. Walking is limited for me to a treadmill, so I may hold on, again due to the numbness factor in my legs...... to much freestyle walking with my cane I cannot do, and then resort to a wheelchair to do the long distance things like museums, mall shopping, and the like........ I had hopes of returning to downhill skiing after my original back surgery and have tabled that attempt indefinitely. Oh, and I have a device called a Total Gym which is an incline device which with weights can exercise both upper and lower body. That is about it.

Mark56

Good topic!
I too loved to swim - just being in the water, weightless, did wonders since my knees were giving me fits. But, like you say, I guess the reaching motions are not good, so I did the best I could with the little I had to work with, which is treading water. It's a great way to gently use every muscle and improve circulation - especially in the legs.

I'm ever grateful that we have access to a pretty nice therapy pool. I enjoy the warm temperature - very soothing on the muscles and I use the little aquatic 'toys', especially those little floating doo-dads that look like little dumbells, barbells

Hi Rae,

Thanks for your reply, please God ill be able to as much as you and Mark, I certainly cant imagine getting back on a bicycle again, I haven't been on a bike since my problems started when I was about 11-17.

I do like to swim but I'm concerned my arms are over stretching on the back stroke.

I hope all is well with you. I had my scs revision surgery yesterday and so fa so good. I'm tired and sore right now.

S xxx

I was put down for some hydrotherapy, and the physio advised nothing but breaststroke at first and only then after 12 weeks. Just so you know. x

Hi Saffy- How interesting your physical therapist has put you down for breaststroke, given that the notion of reaching is typically a no no. Working in a warm therapy pool [92 degrees F] my therapist had me doing a good many exercises, none of which involved reaching above the head, but did involve a variety of stepping exercises, lunges, side stepping, marching, walking, lifting my arms with hydro paddles in hands for resistance up to my shoulders from the waist position, both to the side and to the front, and a exercise also using said paddles in a motion like flapping my wings from a shoulder height out to side then meeting in front of me. Again, again, and again. It would take about an two hours to complete all of the pool exercises, then it would be off to the deep end of the pool for "bicycling" and hanging with weights on my ankels as though to provide some traction.

The actual use of swimming strokes was never part of my therapy regimen, but then, perhaps as between different therapists there are variances of approach.

Hope it goes very well for you,
Mark56

It's been cancelled as I told them I was having probs with the stim. Boo!

Have to say, my Stim Team never stressed on NOT doing things .. obviously they didn't want me to reach high suddenly, or bend suddenly, but I wasn't told to do things, in fact they encouraged me to do things as I normally would. ? ? ? ?

I was told no bend, lift, stretch, twist, so I reduced it to the acronym BLAST.
Mark56

Hi Sophie,

I had my SMS implant (along with the paddle) back in February of 2010. After about 2 months, my surgeon gave me the okay to golf. At my year appointment, I was given the ok to do anything I pleased. "No physical limitations" were the exact words. I could even participate in karate as I asked specifically about that. As long as I started out slow, I was able to get my body to handle the activity. Of course, that was quite difficult at first (and still is at times) as I previously lived by the motto, "No pain...no gain". I currently am golfing, participating in water aerobics, working out on the treatmill, doing push-ups & sit-ups, yoga, walking with a little bit of running, and trying to get back into the game of life. I have not joined karate yet but am hoping to in the next couple months. I still feel pain everyday but it is much more manageable. The best part is the SMS is managing the pain as I am no longer on any pain medication. I realize that I still have a long way to go both physically and mentally but I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines. I accept the fact that I cannot do all that I did before the pain but I am finding alternatives that I am enjoying quite a bit. It's finally my turn to beat the pain and I am completely up for the challenge!

I hope you find some type of activity that makes you happy!

Kim

Alright Kim!! Wow! Your status is fantastic, just fantastic! I love the upbeat notion of going for things you can do even if they are not exactly what you did before. Inspirational!

Great BIG THANKS!
Yep,
Mark56