alternatives to wobble board

[Guest guest]

Of course, wobble boards aren't the only way. For those who can do

it, I think that the *best* exercise for balance, stabiliy, etc. is

hiking over a rough surface (like a plowed field etc.) (And again,

in general I find moderately rough surfaces to me more " knee-

friendly " then smooth surfaces.) I understand that doing exercises on

surface like a mattress helps too.

And just standing on your " bad " leg I think really helps too. I have

a tendency to sometimes just stand around with all my weight on

the " good " leg. After I became aware of just how weak/unstable

my " bad " leg had become, I conciously try to weight it more when just

standing around and it helps.

The sad thing is, I really don't have a " bad " leg anymore in the true

sense of the word-- my left leg is still problematic, because it

tends to tighten up, etc., but for the most part it is fully

functioning and pain-free. But I *still* find myself favoring my

right leg much more then I should.

Your body learns to compensate for deficiencies and the tendency and

this is hard to break. I would go walking everyday and really try to

walk as normal as I could and would always be asking myself, am I

doing something different with my " bad " leg. I was always telling my

girlfriend, " watch me when I walk, compare my left and right legs and

tell me if I'm doing anything different with my left leg--not just

now, but later when I'm not even thinking about it. " But then,

after I thought I was walking normally for several months, I

discovered that I was doing something subtle and almost unnoticeable

with my left foot that really affected how some of the stabalizing

ankle muscle works.

[Guest guest]

I forgot to add: foam rollers seem to be popular for balance type

exercises as well although I haven't tried this myself and have no

intention of letting anyone step on my foam roller. :-)\

Maybe I'll try this after gets too worn-out for rolling on...

[Guest guest]

>Of course, wobble boards aren't the only way. For those who can do

>it, I think that the *best* exercise for balance, stabiliy, etc. is

>hiking over a rough surface (like a plowed field etc.) (And again,

>in general I find moderately rough surfaces to me more " knee-

>friendly " then smooth surfaces.)

So did I before my surgery (or more accurately, before I got my meniscus

torn). Yesterday I " practiced " walking again, this time on grass. When I left

the developed area of the park and got into rougher terrain, my knee began

hurting, even though I had it taped.

>I understand that doing exercises on

>surface like a mattress helps too.

Makes sense. Here's something that'll help you get your balance back:

cross-country skiing. Or, for flatlanders, roller blading. I remember, back in

the days when it was " safe " for me to do these, if I hadn't done them for a

while, my foot & lower leg muscles burned like fire the first few times out.

But of course, nobody with CP should go skiing or rollerblading.

>And just standing on your " bad " leg I think really helps too. I have

>a tendency to sometimes just stand around with all my weight on

>the " good " leg. After I became aware of just how weak/unstable

>my " bad " leg had become, I conciously try to weight it more when just

>standing around and it helps.

>The sad thing is, I really don't have a " bad " leg anymore in the true

>sense of the word-- my left leg is still problematic, because it

>tends to tighten up, etc., but for the most part it is fully

>functioning and pain-free. But I *still* find myself favoring my

>right leg much more then I should.

So basically you don't have CP any more? How did you get rid of it?

>Your body learns to compensate for deficiencies and the tendency and

>this is hard to break. I would go walking everyday and really try to

>walk as normal as I could and would always be asking myself, am I

>doing something different with my " bad " leg. I was always telling my

>girlfriend, " watch me when I walk, compare my left and right legs and

>tell me if I'm doing anything different with my left leg--not just

>now, but later when I'm not even thinking about it. " But then,

>after I thought I was walking normally for several months, I

>discovered that I was doing something subtle and almost unnoticeable

>with my left foot that really affected how some of the stabalizing

>ankle muscle works.

Yeah, it's really complex.

Ann