On Tuesday I went to a new Prosthetist. There they have on staff a Physiotherapist lady that specializes in amputee walking.
Today I had an appointment with her. We talked for a bit, then went walking around the complex where their office is. The complex reminds me of a Collage campus.
She had a route to walk, that had many of the obstacles I have trouble with. We walked up some steps, then up a long slope where there was some loose soft gravel. Then we walked more stairs and slopes, and got back to the office an hour later. I was very tired.
She showed me how it is easier to go up steps if the good leg goes one step past the prosthesis leg on the way up. It was counter intuitive what she said, but after a few times up and down the steps, I could see her point. I need to work on steps a lot.
Then we did a long steep slope. Up and down. I was more interested in how to do slopes quickly, than how to do them pretty and normal. She showed me a quick side bunny hop for going down slopes. It is definitely faster than how I currently do slopes, but it uses a lot of energy.
We then went to a soft gravel parking lot. I tried many ways to walk on the soft gravel. The solution to walking on gravel and soft sand is....don't try to walk on gravel and soft sand!
I then mentioned how when I stand talking for a long time, my good hip starts to hurt. She said it was because my "blah blah blah, was to tight on the "blah blah blah", and it forced my "blah blah blah" to pull. So I need to change my long term stance to put much more weight on the prosthetic side. I tried her way, and it helps.
The best thing I learned today was getting up after a fall. I showed her how I do it, and she said that my way, is one way, to get up, but it require a lot of strength. I agree, because when I fell on the last Park-Run, I was already tired, and it took great effort for me to get up. I start on my stomach, but my way means that any weight I put on the prosthetic leg is on the toes,
and therefore the knee will not lock. With the prosthetic knee not
locked, then all the strength to rise must come from my good leg.
She showed me another way, that is slower, and looks silly, but requires much less strength.
If you sit on the floor with your legs in front straight, then your toes point up. If you lie on your stomach, then your toes point down. She showed me to start on my stomach and do the splits as far as possible. The toes gradually point more up (less down). At 90 degree splits, the foot is parallel to the ground. Now if I push backwards with my hands, the prosthetic leg heel takes the force. NOW the knee will lock, and I can push my bum up high and slowly stand with legs far apart. Then shuffle till both legs are together.
We got back to the office, and I was standing, and she said I should sit.
I told her how when I finish a long walk, as soon as I sit, my stump starts to hurt, and it throbs painfully. I then either stand again, or take the leg off. The leg will not come off easy, and it take a huge, long, effort to free the painful stump.
She says she knows what causes that, and fetched one of the prosthetists. He said that on the top, inside of the thigh near the groin, is where the artery and veins come into the leg. The artery is deep, but the vein is near the surface. My socket presses to hard on the vein when I sit, and the blood trying to escape the stump is trapped. This makes the stump swell, and throb. He says the socket should never press in that area, and I either need a new socket, or I need to grind or cut the offending parts away.
As soon as I got to the car, I battled to remove the socket from my throbbing stump. Once the socket was off, the pain was gone in seconds.
Once home I took my Dremmel tool and cut and ground off about half a centimeter all across the front inside of the socket. Now I need to trim the plastic liner.
I was hoping to get to try a new Bionic leg today, but it looks like only next week.
Tomorrow is a Park-Run. I want to try the new venue. I am a bit worried because I had a rough day today, and yesterday I walked 5.5 km, and the day before was about 2.5 km. I wish I had a full day to rest before the Park-run.
I also bought new Park-Run socks, and new insoles for my good foot shoe.
I hope they give me good luck tomorrow.
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