MAINTENANCE CHECK-UP

I feel like a young kid lately. Typically, I go to physical therapy twice a year. Once, when winter turns into spring, and again when summer turns into fall. These are the two times of year when the temperature is so unpredictable that it throws my cerebral palsy off. I just need some adjustment—my twice-a-year maintenance check-up. 

I have been performing maintenance check-ups for about twenty years now. I’ve also had many surgeries, including the following:

1) to cut out some of my quad muscle because my spasticity got so tight that it made some of my quad muscle form into a knot. It could only be removed surgically. 

2) I broke my right leg, and because of my cerebral palsy, I had to have a few surgeries to put it back together.

3) Lastly, I had a knee replacement that went wrong, and not only did I break the new knee, but I also broke the femur bone, so it took two years to recover from this. 

Every time I went to therapy following those surgeries, it was always someone who worked in sports rehab. The therapists were always so great to me and became like family. They did everything they could to get me back where I needed to be. They also made my cerebral palsy comfortable. 

I was also afraid to move on and see a new therapist. But now that I’m going to therapists who specialize in neuromuscular disabilities, I can see the difference. I will always be grateful for sports rehab and how it helped me recover from my surgeries, but I know I’m in the correct place for my needs now. 

I have always gone to see a neurologist for my cerebral palsy, but my friends in the cerebral palsy community would say, “Why aren’t you seeing a Movement disorder specialist?” A Movement disorder specialist undergoes the same education as a neurologist, with an additional one or two years of training that focuses on movement disorders, such as CP, MS, Parkinson’s, and other movement disorders. A movement doctor has additional training in various areas, including Botox, Deep Brain Stimulation, and clinical trial methodology. A lot of people assume Botox is just a beauty treatment, but its original purpose is pain management and helping the disability community.

The Movement disorder specialist I’m seeing now is delightful and listens to my concerns. She made sure I went for PT and OT so that I could get the Botox to work the way it should work. I wanted to go to the therapist I usually would go to, but they didn’t have the equipment I needed. Going to a new PT, I wasn’t sure what to expect because it had been years since I had gone to a new therapist. When I started, it felt a bit weird at first, but it also felt good because I was starting fresh. I quickly fell in love with the exercises the therapist had me do. She is currently helping me work on my own goals, such as taking one or two stairs so I can get into the house when I visit people I love.

My therapist focuses on things that help with my Active Daily Living. While I would work on those with my other therapist, she was more of a sports therapist, which meant she was working with people who had never lived with a lifelong disability. The therapist I’m working with now is trained more in brain injury. I feel as if I’m getting a lot out of it. I’m seeing a slight improvement in myself.

I now see the difference between sports medicine therapy and neurological therapy. At the same time, both have been beneficial for me. Right now, in my life, I need more neurological therapy. I’m so thankful to have a supportive community to help me reach my goals, and I appreciate the people who devote their education and profession to helping people like me live our best and most active lives.