Hi folks been slack with the Blog updates, so here's a quick update on me for the new year.

I've been going to the Running program at the rehab center for 6 weeks now, and it's a seriously full on session. It must be doing something as my legs ache the next day. I'm sort of glad I can only get enough time off work to do one session a week. The people who manage 2 or 3 sessions a week have my respect. I'm finding it hard enough to do this one session and still keep up my other activities. I'm currently trying to reshuffle the times so that I'm not so tired and stiff for my usual evening training sessions, but it's a bit of a logistics nightmare, with trying to find times that work for me as well as 3 different trainers who have other commitments.

The most challenging activity from running program is the coming down stairs 2 stairs to a stride. I'm still dependent on the hand rail to even attempt this and we have to always do weight on the left, so that the initial foot placement is on the good foot, where I have more control. So it's step down with the right then bring the left down to match, reset and repeat until you get to the bottom. I am also now going up and down (1 foot per stair) with just moral support( my hand touching the PTs so she can feel how much pressure I'm needing).

I have been to the gait analysis clinic and had all the measurements and recordings done. What a rigmarole. It took nearly 4 hours to get all the data they wanted. And check your dignity at the door for that one, cameras from every angle, and your shirt and shorts tucked out of the way as much as possible, That's a test set that really needs to be done in your bikini. It'll be another 6 weeks ( or so) before I get the report of findings and recommendations.

I also had an assessment and botox injections yesterday at the Spacticity clinic. Interestingly they could find nothing other than tonal patterns in the lower leg and ankle so they don't want to do anything with the calf or tibpost which I was expecting them to treat. Their opinion is that the issue causing my lack of heel strike is more about the shortening of my tendon than anything else, so they are talking about possible tendon lengthening surgery, but they won't do anything about that until the gait analysis results come through and are checked by the surgeon. The idea of being in a cast for a couple of months is really not appealing at this stage, but the benefits will probably be worth the pain and inconvenience. What they did identify was spacticity and overuse in the rectus muscle in my quad which they injected.

So I'm now doing the stretch daily and watch the walking pattern routine (make sure you are lifting your knee, to walk). It'll take a few days for the toxin to spread out and do it's job but it feels like it's starting to work already, I'm just hoping that doesn't mean it will wear off quickly too. By weakening the overactive quad I should get better knee control and hamstring activation, which will help to limit the hip swing that currently limits my walking speed and efficiency.

Here's hoping anyway. It feels so odd to have active therapy again after having nothing official for the last 4 years.