By: Jean Johnson for Back1Part One | Part Two | Part Three
By 10 o’clock the morning after Constance Smith’s neck surgery, a physical therapist had evaluated her, had her sitting up on the edge of the bed, and recommended her as a candidate for a relatively rigorous therapy program at a nearby hospital. Hours later, Smith – clinging to a walker while a therapist held onto a belt strapped around her middle – took her first tentative steps. “It was very slow and probably only five feet, but it after not walking for almost three weeks I was overcome with relief and gratitude.”
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In 2005, robots began to change gait recovery after spinal cord injuries
How it works:
In some cases, people with spinal cord injuries can learn to walk again by re-training the brain and spinal cord to signal the body to move.
The re-training process is usually manually done by a physical therapist by moving the legs of a patient who is suspended in a harness over a treadmill.
The training process can be very physically demanding for both patient and therapist, slowing down the process so that a proper gait at normal walking speed is more difficult to achieve.
Now a patient’s legs and hips can be strapped into a robotic exoskeleton which simulates a ‘fluid’ walking motion. Meanwhile a computer records measurements of a patient to track their progress.
The feedback from these measurements can help therapists make adjustments to improve the way their patient steps.
To learn more about this new robotic therapy, visit the UT Southwestern Medical Center Web site click here |
Still, her left leg wasn’t supporting her the way it needed to. “That deteriorated while I was waiting for the lower back surgery. All that pain settled in the left leg and knee, and after me having to favor it for a year it was in poor shape. It’s horrible when things compound like that – go from bad to worse and there you are left with only a very slender thread to hold on to. My supposedly good leg from the accident at work was now my bad leg.”Sometimes all it takes is a slender thread. Even though Smith was still in considerable emotional shock over the abrupt turn of events that left her so dependent on the world, she went through her post-surgery paces and then found herself once again in a medical van that transports wheelchair patients.
“I was very relieved to be going to the rehabilitation center at the other hospital, because I never want to see the inside of a nursing home again. And the driver, he was just a very caring person and didn’t look down on me the way I’ve found so many did when I was in a wheelchair,” Smith said. “I hadn’t had my lunch so he said, ‘Oh they have a wonderful cafeteria here. I’ll take you out.’ So we got some take-out – me a sandwich, him a pop. Even when we passed by people who wouldn’t make eye contact and looked away from me, I felt good with him there.”
Once ensconced in the rehabilitation unit, the days flew by for Smith. “Believe me, they kept you busy there. Between the physical therapy for your legs and arms, and the occupational stuff they have you practice in the bathrooms and their kitchen, it’s a full day. Rest. You definitely need your rest, and at the end of the day I was ready to sleep by seven o’clock. But it was okay. I wake up very early – like around 5:30 when the staff was gracious enough to bring me coffee. I really, really appreciated that kindness.”
Her physical recovery moved right along and within weeks she could even make it to the bathroom unassisted, although it was a no-no. “Yeah. It was my last night there, and this young little whipper-snapper of a charge nurse busted me for going to the bathroom alone. I mean I had to go. Even the other staff sort of rolled their eyes when he put bells and whistles on me so they’d know if I tried it again,” Smith said with a smile. “I know he was just following orders and that it pays to be careful, but by then my mobility really had improved, so I thought it was a chance I could reasonably take.”
Little did Smith know at the time that her experience with what seemed to her overly-cautious staff was just beginning. The next day she departed for an assisted living facility where she stayed for several more weeks so she could access additional therapy before making the trip from Portland to Denver. To learn about Big Mamoo and other characters Smith encountered there, continue on to Part four.
Continued in Part Four
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