Saturday 30 July 2011

An Update Dictus Band, Facebook Fan Page And More

Calf Stretch

























Hello again everyone,

It is the end of July and the past month and a half have flown by. "What are you doing?" people ask. I stand and kinda just think  "O.K., what have I been doing?"  Well: 1, Working on getting an improvement in my walking. 2. Working on the two new Facebook pages "My Life After Stroke" and "The Stories Of Stroke" and 3. Spending more time working in the office. So now for a little more detail on these three items.

Working on improving my walking: On a previous post I talked about being introduced to a new device to help overcome "drop-foot". It is called a "Dictus Band". It took a couple of weeks but I did gather up the money to buy one. $70.00 Canadian. I had the opportunity to visit the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to buy it. Then my Physio took a week of vacation. I called her on the first day that she was back and we arranged to meet that afternoon. She watched me walk without the device and then helped me with getting me fitted. We applied it to two pair of shoes, one with Velcro straps and one with lace eyelets. She also fitted the Velcro strap pair with a separate piece of Velcro on the tongue  to hold the clear tongue piece of the device more firmly in place.

I try to walk most days using the device. I noticed that  with the device my brain has relaxed about thinking through each step to "raise the toe". Now, it had the capacity to begin thinking through the entire step. "flex the knee", "heel first", "roll through" and "push off with the toe". Cool, now my brain is talking me through developing a more normal gait. I can feel the improvement.

To teach the brain to flex the knee rather than rotate at the hip when I walk I have begun working with a stationary bike. By keeping my Left foot on the peddle it forces the knee to flex which I hope will enlighten the brain over time to flex the knee when I walk.

A second visit 


About two weeks after the first visit  my Physio called and asked if she could visit me again. This time she would like to bring along a summer student. We met that afternoon and again they watched me walk, outside this time. They decided to measure my range of motion on my Left calf. While keeping my heel on the floor they measured how far from the wall I could have my foot and still touch the wall with my knee. Max, toe to wall 12 cm. While this was determined to be "good", they felt that with exercise I could manage perhaps another cm. They also thought that it would be good for me to work on exercising the flexing of the toes on my Left foot. As I have been rotating at the hip rather that flexing at the knee the toes have not been getting properly worked and need to be stretched.

Calf extension and toe flexing exercises along with time on the stationary bike is what I am now doing in order    to improve my gait when I walk. Wearing my Dicta Band device to allow my brain to talk me through the step process as I have already mentioned earlier. These are the elements of development in regaining a better gait when I walk.

There are many devices on the market for this purpose but they can be very expensive. If we don't have insurance coverage that will pay the cost  then it is difficult to make use of them in our recovery. This is a low cost device combined with an exercise routine that I hope will improve the way I walk.

This combination may very well NOT be the answer in your particular case, but, if you would like to know more just leave a comment below or e mail me directly. Thanks!

Well I need to take a break after thinking and writing through number 1. So, I am going to do just that and maybe a little later I will do numbers 2. and 3.

An Update August 01,


This morning  my student physio came by with the exercises that she wants me to do. (A printout from PhysioTools )

3 exercises:


1. Stand in a walking position with the leg to be stretched behind you. Place your hands on a wall for support.

Bend the leg to be stretched and let the weight of your body stretch your calf without lifting your heel off the floor. Hold approx 30 secs. - relax. (repeat 3 times)

2. Stand in a walking position with the leg to be stretched straight behind you and the other leg bent in front of you. Take support from a wall or chair.

Lean your body forwards and down until you feel the stretching in the calf of the straight leg. Hold approx. 30 secs. - relax. Stretch the other leg. (repeat three times)

3. Stand by kitchen counter.

Lift your heel up and straighten your ankle. Hold 20-30 secs. - relax. (repeat 3 times)

Note: Remember to keep heel on the floor and foot straight!

I will start with doing these exercises once per day and if I get along well then try for twice per day. (well that's the plan) Combining these with my time on the stationary bike and daily walking should strengthen my leg mussels for walking as well as retrain my brain . (time will tell)

Thanks for reading.

Gary
Stroke Survivor since 2002

10 comments:

  1. Hi Gary! It's been a while. Hope you are doing well. I was wondering if you would mind me posting a link on the Axxess Medica's FB page (and twitter) in order to help spread the word about your experiences with the Dictus Band? I hope it's still going well for you and things are progressing. Take care. Leanne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 12 years stroke (hemiplegia) survivor.
      I had the greatest shock of my life when i had a cardiac arrest 12 years ago and slumped into comma. I was in comma for a year and three months before i was able to open my eyes. I stuttered with speech and and i noticed i could not move the full right side of my body my hands and legs this was when the doctor told me i had stroke (hemiplegia). I was bedridden and kept in a wheel chair when i need to move for 10 years more and it became worse because i started having memory failure i hardly remember anything. The condition was debilitating and even my neurologist could not help me with his several therapy. My wife came in one day with a medicine she got from a herbal doctor she wanted me to start taking that i will be okay, i was reluctant because i had given up already and was waiting for my death day. she talked me into taking it telling me how much she love and cares about me and how she and the kids are gonna miss me. I took the medicine for 3 months as recommended and my condition improved i was able to walk and move those parts affected by the stroke and today i have fully recovered after 12 years of horror. Do not die because of ignorance you too can be well again. just contact him on josephalberteo@gmail.com for more information on about it and how to get his medicine. thanks for allowing me share my story.

      Delete
  2. Hi Leanne, Thanks for your comment. Please feel free to repost or link to anything that I post. Unfortunately my experience with the "Dictus Band" has not turned out to be as positive as I had hoped.

    It was a good learning experience and I posted a bit about it in a more recent blog post on this blog.

    I am still not fully recovered from the "Dictus Band" experience and it has left me a little confused as to just how to get back to where I was before I tried it. As I progress with getting my head around exactly what happened I will attempt to share it with you here on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My grandfather had a stroke recently, and my wife and I are trying to care for him. I really appreciated these exercise tips. I can see how these will help retrain his muscles. Thanks for sharing. http://www.ansteys.com.au/p/4551062/dictus-band.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am happy as Dr. Benson sensitive treatment of Stroke which has paralyzed my husband touched me deeply. my Husband have suffered from Stroke for twenty years after he have gone through many treatments and I have just figured out a Doctor. which help him live a safer and less painful life after my family Doctor has said there was no cure to his Paralyzed left side of the body. Don't ever lose hope. I am 41 and a mother of one now , Sure, it has been challenging, and there have been many ups and downs, but I went to internet got Dr. Benson contact I contacted him and he sent me the permanent cure to it,which My Husband used for one month. and now he is having pretty normal life now. This is not the end of the world if you having any body with Stroke he can help you. The medication it taste natural. And most of all, I want to tell you that you need to learn to love yourself just the way you are- you are a special person that deserves love. Never never never give up!!!!
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    ReplyDelete
  5. ALL THANKS TO DR JOHNSON WITH HIS HERB I WAS CURED FROM A TERRIBLE Stroke
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    ReplyDelete
  6. As a sign of gratitude for how my husband was saved from stroke , i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
    My husband was diagnosed of stroke and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, he had difficult speaking , and he always complain of muscle weakness and balance disorder . we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony by someone who was cured and so many other with similar body problem, and he left the contact of the doctor who had the cure to stroke . I never imagine stroke has a cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my husband will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my husband used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life. stroke has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks to Dr Williams I am so happy today, my wife have been suffering from stroke for the past 8 years now, and i have spent a lot on western drugs which has all proved abortive, i have tried all means in life to get my wife out of this , but there was no answer until i decided to try herbal solution and i found Dr Williams online and i contacted him and after she took his medication as instructed, my wife is now completely cure from stroke within one month of usage, i am so much happy, thanks to Dr Williams for helping me get my wife life back again without any form of crisis, i promise to tell your name and good deeds to the whole world,if you have someone with stroke you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for more information .

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am Sophie from Canada, I once suffered from a terrible and chronic stoke , the doctor told me there was no permanent cure i was given medications to slow down its progress, i constantly felt my health was deteriorating as i constantly go out of breath,and this illness was really terrible especially when am going out with my friends, i have this constant disorder for about 7 years, this was really a terrible illness ,on thin one day that i was going through the internet,and i came across a post of Mrs Jessica on how her husband was been cured from stroke through the help of Dr Williams herbal product, I contacted this herbal doctor via his email and explain everything to him and make purchase of his product,few days later he sent me the herbal medicine through courier service, when i received the herbal medicine, i used it for 1 months as prescribed by Dr Williams and i was totally cured within those week of usage,on thin now i have not experience any sign or characteristics again . for more information you can email him on drwilliams098675@gmail.com for help

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear FRIENDS,
    now i have a beautiful smiling face and so are which you all, after reading my testimony. My name is kate, I am 31 years old,
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    ReplyDelete