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Alexey
climber
San Jose, CA
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Jul 17, 2016 - 03:48pm PT
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How you are doing Alina?
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Jul 17, 2016 - 06:42pm PT
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Alina,
Since you can swim, I suggest you experiment with a few things in the water. One, try using fins, as kicking with them involves the muscle groups more. Also, experiment with a flotation vest coupled with ankle weights. This works the hip flexors.
I think Largo hit it on the head when he mentioned about the UCLA ortho guy who said increase the circulation. the idea is try to experiment so that you get lots of circulation involving a variety of muscle groups.
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mtnyoung
Trad climber
Twain Harte, California
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Jul 17, 2016 - 07:48pm PT
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I am so glad she's made that kind of progress!
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Jul 17, 2016 - 11:03pm PT
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Increasing circulation helps tremendously per tissue and bones, but nerves respond to certain training (a little) and acupuncture (some times a lot). My injury left me with only about 20% of the regular feeling in my left leg from the shin down and little of it has returned. But the bone and muscle injuries are MUCH better but it took 3 years.
Best luck with your recovery.
JL
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overwatch
climber
Arizona
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Jul 18, 2016 - 12:10am PT
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pretty cool, Mr. Cummins. I am happy for her. She seems to have a great outlook
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thedogfather
Trad climber
Somewhere near Red Rocks
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Jul 18, 2016 - 06:40am PT
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I’ve had doctors tell me so many difficult things. Statements like: healing is done after the first year; all the function you get back after one year is all that you’re ever going to get. I took a 30 foot free fall to my back in a gym because I failed to attach to the auto-belay and sustained a spinal cord injury (central cord syndrome). I have a plate fusing my c4-c6. I was also told all function would be back in a year or so. It has been 19 months and I continue to see some significant nerve improvement. I am far from "normal" and see some things that haven't changed but don't believe them. I have some chronic pain but it continues to slowly improve month to month and super sensitive spots on some parts of my right side. In the last year I have gone from just barely being able to hang from a bar to being able to do 6 pull-ups. I went from having to walk with a walker and not being able to even do one curl with my right arm with no weight to being able to consistently climb 5.10 in the gym. One thing I have done is to be obsessive about hitting my own personal type of PT hard. I don't do normal stuff, I concentrate on things that will allow me to climb again. btw, I am 66 and was told people over 40 have very poor outlook for strong recovery from central cord syndrome.
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alina
Trad climber
CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 19, 2016 - 04:45pm PT
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Hey Alexey and Super-Topo folks!
I'm still hanging in there. Summer has been hard. I get all the same urges: days are long, time to get outside and be outside until you're too tired to stand up.
I miss the East Side and Tuolumne like crazy. The beauty of those places and the happiness I feel whenever I'm there are great motivation, though.
Clint did a great job of covering the big updates. I'm proud of swimming and biking in a triathlon and of the walks I've been taking with my braces and walker.
But I have a long way to go...
Since you can swim, I suggest you experiment with a few things in the water. One, try using fins, as kicking with them involves the muscle groups more. Also, experiment with a flotation vest coupled with ankle weights. This works the hip flexors.
aspendougy, thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm still too weak to move my legs with fins on, but I'm going to try the ankle weights idea. I'm always looking for new exercises to do in the pool.
with regard to circulation: yeah, I understand how important it is. For nerves, we know so little about how the healing process works and what helps and what does not. For my muscles, I have found a really, really warm pool. Swimming at 90deg vs. 75deg makes a huge difference. My weak muscles can barely contract in cold water. But as I warm up in the warm pool, I start feeling stronger and stronger. I hope this translates to long-term improvements.
thedogfather, you are so inspirational. Thanks for sharing your story!
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jose gutierrez
Trad climber
sacramento,ca
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Aug 11, 2016 - 10:33pm PT
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Bump!!
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Aug 12, 2016 - 12:58pm PT
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Highlights from Alina's August 2 post to her blog:
Two small victories today. First, this morning, I found my balance at the standing frame. ... Before, when the hands came off, my right hip would rotate and I would twist out of upright. I think I’m finally getting the strength in my right glute and hamstring to balance out the left....
Second, I finally went to the Stanford gym. A basement maze of free weights, rows of elliptical girls, and machine angles. I have been putting this off for months. Partially because the Stanford student show of youthful exuberance would probably make me sad. Partially because I was waiting on my right leg to learn how to track. ... http://smallrestlesshuman.com/
It takes time to build up strength in alternative muscles to compensate for the ones that aren't working.
But it has to feel so good to make helpful progress!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Aug 12, 2016 - 01:09pm PT
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hey there say, ... great to hear this update... thanks for finding and sharing it... :)
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alina
Trad climber
CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 7, 2016 - 09:33am PT
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Hey Taco,
I was interviewed about my accident for The Sharp End, a podcast produced by Accidents in North American Climbing.
Take a listen. And if you're sick of hearing my story you should check out some of the other interviews. There is a new podcast every month.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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I like good news on recovery efforts. tfpu
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Keep us updated... this is your thread anyway. If someone is tired of hearing of your recovery they can go browse the Kaepernick thread or something. Keep yer head up big things are coming.
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hamersorethumb
Trad climber
Menlo Park, CA
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Thanks for sharing your story on The Sharp End.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
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Alina... No way ever tired of hearing of yours (or anyone's) recovery!
When I was in an hurt more (nothing as extreme as yours) it's these kinds of posts that gave me inspiration to keep on keep in' on. Thank You!
Susan
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Oct 24, 2016 - 06:16pm PT
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Hope you are doing & healing well.
Bump & Prayers
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Tapir
Sport climber
Malaysia
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Hey Guys,
I'm new here and am super frustrated with my back pain. It has been about 8months since I last climbed, and since then, my back starts having weird pains and all. Never had any pain when I was active in climbing. I stopped for awhile because was getting married and thought of starting again sometime soon. However with this back pain, I'm not sure if its a good idea.
I used to boulder much back then. I had a few falls that was seriously wrong falls, but it didnt hurt back then. My pain started in my lower back left side down to my buttocks and back of my left thigh. And now it moves around. Currently it hurts on the spine just below my neck.
I had shoulder dislocation once on my left shoulder and since then my neck kinda hurts all the way too. I'm just hopeless here huaaaa!
Tapir
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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Tapir, see a spinal surgeon, have MRIs taken. I've had a lot of recent experience with this sort of thing. I don't recommend a chiropractor or a physical therapist. The latter did more harm than good for me.
Stop jumping off boulders, even with pads! I am now paying the consequences in my old age.
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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Alina, I am another physician, Family Practice, but who shared my office with a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doc for many years.
I am going through my own major physical rehab situation right now, and spend time every day in a pool, which has been a salvation. I'm not going to discuss my journey, other than how it relates to you.
You have a great attitude, and I agree with the other physicians that will, and has, paid huge dividends. I also agree that climbers are different in outlook. Try to find a way to push every day. Try to focus on your improvements, and talk about them. It is self-reinforcing. Be aware of your lagging problems, and work on how to make them better--but don't let that become the focus of your being, let that be the positives.
You don't appear to have a significant psychological problem, which is often the case, and gets in the way of working to get better. Make sure you are talking about what is happening---it is very therapeutic!
Pain is your FRIEND! It tells you where you need to focus. It tells you the limits of what you should do. Do not let pain hold you back from what you need to do, though. I was surprised that my PT's and OT's wanted me to take pain meds before sessions, so that I could perform harder. It really helped. I think it is a mistake to "tough it out". Pain can wear you down, as you know. Don't be afraid to explore alternative pain techniques---I have found Turmeric useful, recommended to me by my pharmacist.
A couple of tricks I'll share---in the pool, I often use a "noodle" for flotation. I'm sure you are familiar with the various "tools" available.
I float with the noodle UNDER my bad foot, the leg of which had lost 50% or more of strength, and which also stretches my somewhat locked-up ankle. I just started using this to do leg raises by relaxing my leg->up, and pushing my foot down. Seems to be an easy, relatively painless way to increase the strength in that leg.
A more advanced trick is to balance on TWO noodles, one under each foot, which is quite hard to coordinate the balance, just standing there.
Finally, I go to the shallow end, and WALK on the noodle, which stretches out the foot. I'll do a lap on the heel, middle, then front---by far the most challenging and painful, but which also maximizes Achilles stretch. I could do NONE of that 2 months ago.
Please keep writing, it is great and inspiring to hear of your progress!
Ken Murray, MD
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