Re: balance and falling

[Guest guest]

Hello Kathleen -

Thank you for your long post on balance retraining and our

problems with balance and falling post revision surgery. I thought

it was just me feeling like " a drunken sailor " . It really helps me

to have others share their experiences since this scolio malady is so

lonely. I often wonder if I am the only one experiencing a variety

of complications.

I am working with a physical therapist at Kaiser Oakland and am

not totally satisfied, so I will talk with him about balance

retraining. Thanks for the suggestion.

I had my revision surgery six months ago, and although I am more

erect, I can't believe the complications I have to endure. I'm not

growing old gracefully! a

> Good Morning and everyone-

> you struck a note with me I had to wipe a tear from my eye as I

had hoped

> no one else would go through the hell long list of 'things' that

happened

> and happen to me post-op revision! Concerning the falling down..

it will

> get better as time goes on. There is something all of you that are

post-op

> revision can do to help fix the problem of your balance being off..

and I

> only learned of this by accident last year and I am now 4.5 years

post-op!

> It is called balance re-training. You can go to physical therapy

and ask

> them to do this with you and it DOES WORK! The reason you fall is

because

> your brain still doesn'tknow where your feet are in relation to the

center

> of your body. So what is done is the physical therapists will re-

train your

> brain to learn where your feet are so you stop falling over or

bumping into

> things or running into walls or catching the corner of doorways

with your

> shoulders. I've done it all and still get black and blue from the

odd bump

> when i am not focised and paying attention. Thats really it, you

need to

> focus on what you will be doing before and during your walking.

The 'test'

> the physical therapists did was pointed to the line on the floor

and told me

> to walk the straight line.. ok i did it. she said do it again but

don't look

> down at your feet look straight ahead.. well i wobbled and veered

off and

> couldn't do it. then she grabbed my elbow and told me to shut my

eyes and

> walk straight ahead.. i fell over.. she caught me though...to this

day i

> still walk with one eye towards the ground and one eye in front of

me and it

> always isn't successful. The 'normal' person can walk with their

head up

> and eyes fixated on a point in the distance.. i can not because my

brain

> doesn;t get the right input as to where my feet are and after

falling so

> many times my brain naturally as in self preservation has made the

> compensation and has my eyes look down at the ground at my feet so

my brain

> can see where my feet are in relation to walking and everything

else. well

> if your eyes re fixed on your feet you naturally will not see

everything or

> obstacles out in front of you at times thus the fall or mis-

stepping as i

> call it...like missing stepping down and then going off to the

side.. wierd

> stuff! On my recent spine surgery hospitalization in rehab I still

couldn't

> do the walking or stepping easily.. the therapist caught my safety

net of

> gazing twards my feet and made me STOP, pick my gaze up to a point

in the

> distance.. i wanted to cry because I knew i would fall.. she caught

me but

> the feeling of uncertainty is what i hate, my practice was to step

up one

> step and down doing this repeatedly and holding onto the bar while

doing

> it.and looking at a fixed point in the distance not down at my feet

to

> assure my brain i wouldn't miss the step.so doing something as

simple as

> practicing a step up and step down holding onto something so as not

to fall

> and looking into the distance and not your feet, doing this

repeatedly will

> retrain your brain to 'trust' where your feet are.. it does work so

you need

> to ask for help and ask for 'balance retraining so your brain

learns where

> your feet are.

> I know other than the bruising and pain of falling it may not seem

do big of

> a deal but it is. I took a fall in my house in the hallway and did

> irreversible nerve damage.. that appeared the next morning after i

fell so

> PLEASE be careful and use a cane if necessary. I used my cane for

3.5 years

> post-op revision because of the fact I would wobble or fall over..

so don't

> be shy about havinf a cane in your hand for that added measure of

safety or

> comfort. I still have a problem when it comes to have to suddenly

change my

> movements. like when my kids walk in front of me and stop.. i can't

just

> 'stop' walking even though i tell my brain whoa stop i keep going

and that

> normally means falling over them because they are in front of me..

my

> solution.. i make my kids now always walk behind me. Oh also for

balance

> retraining i have and ohysical therapist have a big round disc that

you

> stand on. underneath is a ball bearing so yo get on this round disc

thing

> and it wobbles like crazy as you try to keep your balance,, at

first i had

> to always hold onto the railing and put my feet on and go through

the motion

> of tilting this thing in the four directions.. i have one at home

now and I

> can do it without holding on and manage to stay on it for a few

seconds...

> Its all about balance retraining and it is extremely important for

ALL

> post-op revision folks to make sure they know where there new

center of

> gravity and feet are! The brain is an amazing thing! good luck and

now you

> know you can get professional help and be able to tell them what you

> need....of course no doctor ever suggested this balance re-

training..

> what.idiots! they just listen to you tell them that you keep

bumoing into

> things or fall over for no reason really.......

> GOOD LUCK!!

> TwistedSister in NJ

> wishing you many peaceful moments

> TwistedSister in NJ

> 1982 Scoliosis Harrington fusion, 1998 Revision A/P Surgery for

Flatback

> Syndrome, 1998 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 1999 Degenrative SI

Joints,

> 2000 Weight Loss Surgery, 2000 Spinal Hardware Removed, 2001

Cervical

> bulging discs, 2002 Arachnoiditis, 2002 GERD, 2002 Adhesions, 1993

Mitral

> Valve Prolapse, 1996 Fibromyalgia, 2001 Kidney Stones,

> 2003 Interstitial Cystitis, May 2003 Anterior spine hardware removal

> ** LIFE IS UNCERTAIN.............EAT DESSERT FIRST **

> Harrington Rod scoliosis people and other post-op multiple spine

surgery

> people may interested in the following website dedicated to Flatback

> Syndrome and revision/salvage spine surgery... " Salvaged Sisters of

> Scoliosis " website on Delphi Forums at:

> http://forums.delphiforums.com/adultscoliosis/messages

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for this information, Kathleen! It's great to know I am not "the only one," and also that this has actually been addressed through a form of PT.

I will be sure to discuss this with the specialist if I get the referral--In fact, I will bring it up even before then, with the internist on Tuesday.

Balance retraining is probably just what I need.

balance and falling

Good Morning and everyone-you struck a note with me I had to wipe a tear from my eye as I had hopedno one else would go through the hell long list of 'things' that happenedand happen to me post-op revision! Concerning the falling down.. it willget better as time goes on. There is something all of you that are post-oprevision can do to help fix the problem of your balance being off.. and Ionly learned of this by accident last year and I am now 4.5 years post-op!It is called balance re-training. You can go to physical therapy and askthem to do this with you and it DOES WORK! The reason you fall is becauseyour brain still doesn'tknow where your feet are in relation to the centerof your body. So what is done is the physical therapists will re-train yourbrain to learn where your feet are so you stop falling over or bumping intothings or running into walls or catching the corner of doorways with yourshoulders. I've done it all and still get black and blue from the odd bumpwhen i am not focised and paying attention. Thats really it, you need tofocus on what you will be doing before and during your walking. The 'test'the physical therapists did was pointed to the line on the floor and told meto walk the straight line.. ok i did it. she said do it again but don't lookdown at your feet look straight ahead.. well i wobbled and veered off andcouldn't do it. then she grabbed my elbow and told me to shut my eyes andwalk straight ahead.. i fell over.. she caught me though...to this day istill walk with one eye towards the ground and one eye in front of me and italways isn't successful. The 'normal' person can walk with their head upand eyes fixated on a point in the distance.. i can not because my braindoesn;t get the right input as to where my feet are and after falling somany times my brain naturally as in self preservation has made thecompensation and has my eyes look down at the ground at my feet so my braincan see where my feet are in relation to walking and everything else. wellif your eyes re fixed on your feet you naturally will not see everything orobstacles out in front of you at times thus the fall or mis-stepping as icall it...like missing stepping down and then going off to the side.. wierdstuff! On my recent spine surgery hospitalization in rehab I still couldn'tdo the walking or stepping easily.. the therapist caught my safety net ofgazing twards my feet and made me STOP, pick my gaze up to a point in thedistance.. i wanted to cry because I knew i would fall.. she caught me butthe feeling of uncertainty is what i hate, my practice was to step up onestep and down doing this repeatedly and holding onto the bar while doingit.and looking at a fixed point in the distance not down at my feet toassure my brain i wouldn't miss the step.so doing something as simple aspracticing a step up and step down holding onto something so as not to falland looking into the distance and not your feet, doing this repeatedly willretrain your brain to 'trust' where your feet are.. it does work so you needto ask for help and ask for 'balance retraining so your brain learns whereyour feet are.I know other than the bruising and pain of falling it may not seem do big ofa deal but it is. I took a fall in my house in the hallway and didirreversible nerve damage.. that appeared the next morning after i fell soPLEASE be careful and use a cane if necessary. I used my cane for 3.5 yearspost-op revision because of the fact I would wobble or fall over.. so don'tbe shy about havinf a cane in your hand for that added measure of safety orcomfort. I still have a problem when it comes to have to suddenly change mymovements. like when my kids walk in front of me and stop.. i can't just'stop' walking even though i tell my brain whoa stop i keep going and thatnormally means falling over them because they are in front of me.. mysolution.. i make my kids now always walk behind me. Oh also for balanceretraining i have and ohysical therapist have a big round disc that youstand on. underneath is a ball bearing so yo get on this round disc thingand it wobbles like crazy as you try to keep your balance,, at first i hadto always hold onto the railing and put my feet on and go through the motionof tilting this thing in the four directions.. i have one at home now and Ican do it without holding on and manage to stay on it for a few seconds...Its all about balance retraining and it is extremely important for ALLpost-op revision folks to make sure they know where there new center ofgravity and feet are! The brain is an amazing thing! good luck and now youknow you can get professional help and be able to tell them what youneed....of course no doctor ever suggested this balance re-training..what.idiots! they just listen to you tell them that you keep bumoing intothings or fall over for no reason really.......GOOD LUCK!!TwistedSister in NJwishing you many peaceful momentsTwistedSister in NJ1982 Scoliosis Harrington fusion, 1998 Revision A/P Surgery for FlatbackSyndrome, 1998 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 1999 Degenrative SI Joints,2000 Weight Loss Surgery, 2000 Spinal Hardware Removed, 2001 Cervicalbulging discs, 2002 Arachnoiditis, 2002 GERD, 2002 Adhesions, 1993 MitralValve Prolapse, 1996 Fibromyalgia, 2001 Kidney Stones,2003 Interstitial Cystitis, May 2003 Anterior spine hardware removal** LIFE IS UNCERTAIN.............EAT DESSERT FIRST **Harrington Rod scoliosis people and other post-op multiple spine surgerypeople may interested in the following website dedicated to FlatbackSyndrome and revision/salvage spine surgery... "Salvaged Sisters ofScoliosis" website on Delphi Forums at:http://forums.delphiforums.com/adultscoliosis/messagesSupport for scoliosis-surgery veterans with Harrington Rod Malalignment Syndrome. Not medical advice. Group does not control ads or endorse any advertised products.