“I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammed Ali
Hi Everyone,
Today Corey won another round. In fact, she won 9…laps that is. Paul, her aqua coach has been unable to join us in the pool for over a month. He trained me and Caitlin on a few basic exercises but emphasized that anything we do on land can be done in the water. In fact, exercising is 4x as affective at working every muscle in the body primarily due to removing gravity. Paul shared stories about other patients that were immobile on land yet when buoyant could move their limbs in the water.
Over the course of the last month, we followed Paul’s advice and incorporated some of Corey’s land exercises along with his water exercises.
We have increased her leg exercises not by repetitions (as we do on land) but how many can we do within a certain time period. Each week we increased her time building her stamina and muscle strength.
The following is the perfect example of how aqua therapy helps supplement traditional land exercises as well as develop and advance a persons recovery.
Walking independently is our primary focus for Corey’s PT. In order to accomplish this, she must develop balance, the weaker left leg muscles, both hip muscles and her core muscles.
Recently, we have not only begun “sit to stand” exercises but standing in place as well. Yesterday, Corey completed 5 sit to stands and stood in place holding onto a grab bar with her right hand for 4 minutes without swaying or bending at the knees/waist from fatigue. This land time is a first. Once she develops her balance, she will be able to let go of the bar and hopefully take her first steps without assistance.
In the water today we practiced the same standing exercise. Corey not only stood holding onto the grab bar with her right hand, she placed her body weight on her right leg and completed left leg lifts! To date, Corey has not bent or lifted her left knee, nor has she been capable of standing on one leg to lift the opposite leg as an exercise on land. After lifting her knee she kicked in a downward motion to do a toe touch on the bottom of the pool. Corey repeated this exercise over 30 times in 4 minutes.
Paul was speechless (and if you met this man that is hard to do!)
We also bragged that last week Corey walked the perimeter of the pool twice as she held onto the grab bar. He insisted she show off. Paul stood in front of her, I was standing behind her. Corey took off marching step by step; neither Paul nor I were holding her. She walked 3/4 of the pools perimeter independently. He was very excited stating, “oh she’s ready to go”. He reached for an extra fat pool noodle. With Paul in front of her, the noodle was placed about a foot from her belly wrapping her torso. Corey reached forward to hold the noodle as Paul guided her away from the wall; Corey walked within the interior of the pool using the noodle as a “Walker”. A few short laps and he was ready to push her further. The noodle was removed, Paul stood behind her, I was beside her. As she walked I called the commands, “Lift the right knee, kick forward”. “Lift the left knee”, (tapping the back of her left thigh to initiate the muscle response) “Higher!” “Try to break the water with the top of your knee”. “GOOD, that’s it”! “AGAIN”. “Right knee”, “Left knee”, “Right knee” and so it went…for 9 laps around the pool without holding onto the grab bar!
At the end of our session, Paul took me aside. He was astounded at Corey’s progress, stamina and muscle development in the last month. He admitted, “I never thought it would happen this fast”. “When a patient reaches this point in their development, they take off”! “This is exciting”!
He turned to Corey and confided that he has 6 other patients. “When I have to go away, it all falls apart”. “We have to start at the beginning when I get back”! Corey looked at him and emphatically proclaimed, “You don’t know me…I am NOT going back to the beginning”!
“I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday” – Unknown
Corey, you will live the rest of your life as a champion because you never give up and never give in, xoxo