Constraint Induced Movement Therapy for Lower Extremeties

This has got to be the only physical therapy regime that I absolutely hated. Although looking at this getup, this one actually looks comfortable, but then they aren't showing ALL of it here. This machine isn't as intense as the one I used either. The blue "pants/shorts" harness you see the guy wearing a heck of a lot more comfortable than what I got to wear. I had to wear straps that ran up through my groin area and around my upper legs. Then there were clamps that attached to your ankles that were motorized, which set a "gait pattern" for you. Once you are harnessed into it, you are lifted up & weighed like a slab of meat before being lowreed onto the treadmill. The harness strap system cuts into & is extremely uncomfortable. I don't know how guys could stand to be in this thing! The treadmil would start and the ankle gaits would start your legs "walking". It teaches your brain arepetative pattern to hopefully recognize correct walking gaits to retrain your brain to allow you to walk "normally" again. Needless to say, the first time I was hooked up, I was overjoyed if not uncomfortable, but happy nonetheless, to be walking "normally" again. But I never walked "normally" in the first place, not in the therapists ideal anyways. I used to walk fast,one foot in front of the other, as if on a tight rope. That just blew my physical therapist away. She said it wasn't "right". I told her it was right for me though. I think this is one of the reasons why I'm having so many problems with my gait still. My brain is trying to revert back to it's otiginal patterns and yet the left leg is still "squirrelly" as if I'm hitting the sauce on the side. My knee hyper extends & gives out at times as wel.. I wear a knee cage half my day which is better then the original AFO I used to wear. ot the most comfortable thing to wear nor does it go well with most fashion ensembles but then hey, I was never in to Paris haute couture so I'm not worried about it. The only kicker about the knee cage is that when wearing jeans, it tends to cut off some circulation to my toes, so I've got to take a break from it! It's still better than that horrid Gait trainer though! I'd rather walk like a drunken sailor on shore leave then be strung up like a side of beef again. I'll get the whole gait thing worked out & in perspective, I'm not worried about it. The foot drop is preventing me from running or jogging because I'll trip over my foot and the hyperextension is definately screwing up any chances of jumping jacks or even jumping rope. Actually, I tried to jump rope yesterday. I physically can't do it. With or without the brace on. The right side knows how, but the left doesn't. This really sucks. I met a new client this morning in the process of writing this. He suffered a stroke 21 years ago. I watched how he walked & how he had to stretch his fingers EXACTLY like I do. you know what? 20 +years and he's not any better. He told me not to give up hope a few minutes ago. Funny. The more people I meet that have suffered a stroke, the more I find out that many of them are in three categories: better, worse, or the same as myself. Maybe I'm bummed because I've hit a plateau for now. I don't know.