Update, August 2017

This recent video shows more progress working without KAFOs or AFOs!  I try to vary types of exercises each day and include some walking with braces and some without.  On the road to functional mobility, I'm encouraged by the increased muscle response.  An exciting development is the gradual albeit inconsistent return of sensation below the injury site. This past few months I have noticed more and more temperature awareness, and even the feel of fabric.

Nick Walls Sets Records

Expect more good news to come for this teenager from Alabama.  Last year, Nick Walls sustained a spinal cord injury in a four-wheeler accident.  To quote from the article: “His doctor told him he would never walk again. ‘That's when I said in my head right after he told me that, I said 'I'm sorry, but you're wrong.’ Nick remembered. That motivation and faith pushed him forward. He uses basketball to stay active. After last year's competition he trained harder and leaned on his faith for strength. He lives by a few simple words: ‘Philippians 4:13 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’’”  Since being injured, Nick has not only set multiple records in Track and Field throwing events, but is also learning to walk again.

Compare and Contrast

Sometimes it can be a very healthy habit to look at how far you have come.  This newly-posted video was taken on August 12, 2014.  Almost fourteen months post-injury, I was practicing walking with long leg braces (KAFOs), and just beginning to work with one of the braces unlocked.
Today I’m working with modular Allard braces, with an AFO on one side and minimal knee support on the other.  They require much more muscle function.  I never could have managed with this bracing type three years ago.

A Short Note on Neuron Research

More work being done on sensory and motor neurons.  As this study shows, research on nerve reconnection is gaining increased attention.

130 Steps

Congratulations to Jamie and Shevon Nieto!  Jamie has spent the last fifteen months fighting a spinal cord injury.  On July 22nd, he achieved his goal of walking his bride down the aisle at their wedding. A distance of about 130 steps goes a long way.