walking in sand

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/20/00 9:49:01 PM Eastern Standard Time,

liliwigg@... writes:

<< Would some of you who cannot walk in sand explain to me why not? >>

Yes, I would be curious about that myself. My experience of walking in sand

is like therapy. It stretches the foot out especially the toes. If you have

not done it for a while, watch out, it will feel like your toes are being

pulled off. It seems to make my foot more flexible

E

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/20/2000 6:49:06 PM Pacific Standard Time,

liliwigg@... writes:

> Would some of you who cannot walk in sand explain to me why not? I guess

> I am missing something here. Is it that you need to wear your AFOs and

> shoes? Is it because sand give you an unstable feeling? I am confused.

>

Gretchen, I wish I could explain this to you. I am just as confused. I had no

idea I couldn't walk in the sand until I took my first 2 steps and fell.

Maybe it's because its all uneven and I need flatness.

u u

}}}}}}}

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/20/2000 8:48:58 PM Central Standard Time,

liliwigg@... writes:

<< Would some of you who cannot walk in sand explain to me why not? I guess

I am missing something here. >>

C here, I can't walk in sand for several reasons and it didn't happen

all of a sudden. When I was growing up we went to the beach all the time and

I could RUN inthe sand, by the way that's a nice memory to have on those very

bad days when walkin to the bathroom is a major ordeal. Anyway, I can look

back to my twenties to recall when it just got to be very tiring to walk on

the beach. Same for the thirties. After I turned to forty it got worse and

worse each summer. I think that part of it is obviously the fact that it

requires more muscle to walk in sand. It is difficult to keep my balance now

too. Walking in the sand puts a lot of strain on hips and knees. The man who

made my first pair of AFO's told me not to leave them in a hot car or leave

them lying out in the sun. The last time we went to Orange Beach I could walk

to the lounge chairs right in front of the condo using a cane and/or

someone's arm for support.

[Guest guest]

Gretchen,

Lamar here,

Apparently your CMT symptoms are very early. I seem to recall that you are a

younger person. These things were easily possible for me in my 30's and early

40's

When CMT progresses, in everyone I have seen, the proprioception is destroyed.

I can not tell where my feet are. Balance is destroyed. Someone could push me

down with one finger. I have a hard time even walking on something that " gives "

as much as a thick or padded carpet. This is with or without my AFO. When you

walk in sand, or plowed dirt you could easily have as much as a foot of " give " .

The same (to a lesser extent) is true of walking in grass or leaves, on

cobblestones, or bark or loose pebble walkways. This throws me off balance.

Canes are of no use in soft soil, they " bog up " worse than your foot does.

Considering that to get to the hard wet part of a beach, you have to walk as

much as several hundred yards, across dunes. Without my cane, one marble size

pebble is enough to make me fall, not to mention sand. Slopes also present a

problem. I can not now even walk across or mow a ditch in front of my house

that I dug by hand when I was in my 20's, with a pick and shovel. I have to

hire neighbor kids to pick up litter people have thrown out the car windows.

Just as was mentioned about getting on a box to mount a horse. When you can

barely negotiate stepping up on a curb, stepping up onto a box, chair, or ladder

is impossible. In my early 20's I could climb 100 ft pines with spikes and a

safety belt. Until I was in my late 40's I probably could have managed getting

on a horse.

The pronounced weakness limits not only recreational activities, but social. I

have friends that I can not get up the steps into their home. I have ramps, but

without strong rails I could not manage the three steps to my main entrance.

You adapt, but know your limits, and what is safe for you. Mine is compounded.

If I had a fall and major fracture, I would be virtually helpless. I would

likely have to go into a nursing home until it was healed. I could not drive,

shop, cook, care for a home etc. Just as I gave up cave diving when I married,

because it was VERY hazardous for anyone, I have had to give up things that

would be easy for some.

I pray that those that can do these things never have their CMT progress to a

point where they have to stop the things they love.

----- Original Message -----

From: Gretchen Glick

Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 09:39 PM

Subject: [] walking in sand

Would some of you who cannot walk in sand explain to me why not? I guess

I am missing something here. Is it that you need to wear your AFOs and

shoes? Is it because sand give you an unstable feeling? I am confused.

My first physical therapy after surgery as a kid was walking in sand. Of

course it was hard at first, but it strengthened my muscles. Mostly now

when I walk on sand I am wearing sand shoes or old cross trainers,

because the beaches I go to have broken shells and can be real hot to

step on. Or some crab creature wants a bite of my toes.

~ Gretchen

eGroups Sponsor

[Guest guest]

Walking on sand with Varus Heel is difficult as there is little lateral

support and the ankle can roll. - EdM

-----Original Message-----

From: Gretchen Glick <liliwigg@...>

<egroups>

Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 9:47 PM

Subject: [] walking in sand

>Would some of you who cannot walk in sand explain to me why not? I guess

>I am missing something here. Is it that you need to wear your AFOs and

>shoes? Is it because sand give you an unstable feeling? I am confused.

>My first physical therapy after surgery as a kid was walking in sand. Of

>course it was hard at first, but it strengthened my muscles. Mostly now

>when I walk on sand I am wearing sand shoes or old cross trainers,

>because the beaches I go to have broken shells and can be real hot to

>step on. Or some crab creature wants a bite of my toes.

>

>~ Gretchen

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Due to foot drop, I found it difficult to walk in/out of the water at the

beach. My solution to the problem was to walk backward in both instances. To

clarify, I am 71 and minimally affected with CMT, compared to most others.

Bob McA

[Guest guest]

<Would some of you who cannot walk in sand explain to me why not? I guess

I am missing something here. Is it that you need to wear your AFOs >

The " why not " is because we who cannot are more seriously weak than those who

can. I can do it with my AFO's, shoes, and crutches, but the instability of the

surface makes it strenuous. Also, if you're a heel walker like me or you

hyperextend at the knees, walking in soft sand will increase the poor

positioning of the leg/knee and will cause pain. This is really BAD because we

want to keep our knees healthy, right? People who can walk without

hyperextension still retain upper leg muscle (hamstrings and quads) and that

makes all the difference in maintaining a correct stance while standing or

walking. For AFO's to work optimally for these people, they need to stay on a

hard, stable surface. For those who have more upper leg strength, by all means,

walk in the sand - I envy you !!

Melody

[Guest guest]

Dawn,

No, I don't feel less push off - in fact I feel more. It seems to be

that walking in sand encourages me to make a greater effort to sink my

heels down farther, then my toes, for a more structured gait. It has

been a good therapy for my inborn 'toewalking'.

Gretchen