Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Physical Therapy: Day 1



Image from google.com

Today was Brody's first physical therapy session since being diagnosed with CMT. The rehab center has a new therapist who works with children so we were excited to get it started up again. Matt and I both attended this first session so we could share with her our concerns for Brody and also both learn whatever we could about how to work with him at home. We're hoping that most of his future sessions can be first thing in the morning so Matt could take him and just go into work a little late that day. It will be quite hard for me to try to bring all 3 kids and keep our middle child from trying to join in on the therapy haha. Fortunately, if I do have to bring him myself, we have friends and family who are so great about helping out with the kids.

This first session actually ended up being an evaluation, which makes sense. She did a Peabody test on him where she evaluated him walking, jumping on one leg, hopping, climbing stairs, pushing, pulling, running, throwing a ball, etc. She tested just about every physical developmental milestone possible. And of course, the results came back as we expected...above average upper body strength and weak lower body. She actually told us that he is about a year behind his peers in lower body ability..jumping, hopping on one leg, climbing, bending, squatting, etc.


I was impressed that she was familiar with CMT. I didn't know if therapists were taught about these conditions or not. So she knew he would have foot drop and tight achilles tendons. She knew that he needed AFOs and that his problem was not going to be "fixed" with therapy, but that the work she does will hopefully slow the progression. She also told us our end goal is still for him to graduate from therapy. Although that's good news, I have to admit I'm still skeptical of that. From everything the doctors have told us, we don't see how NOT being in therapy is going to be beneficial. But I guess her point is that after 6 months of therapy, hopefully she will have trained us to where we can do all the proper exercises and playful activities with him at home ourselves. She did say that if we aren't ready for him to "graduate" after 6 months or if he takes some time off but needs to come back, that's no problem. So I guess we'll just see how we feel he's doing when the time comes.

She's going to take the next couple of weeks to put together an exercise program for him and submit it to his doctor for approval. So we'll start our scheduled visits in the next couple of weeks. I plan to bring the camera (or send it with Matt) so that we can document for ourselves, as well as share with you.

Coming up next...Should be picking up the AFOs (leg braces) either this week or next!! I will definitely bring the camera to that appointment!

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