Physical Therapy Update

Our second physical therapy session seemed like it came so quickly. Cecilia has been doing great walking in her new shoes. We definitely feel like she is making improvements with very little intervention.

After the therapist watched her for a few minutes she said C will definitely not need a brace. Her shoes are great and doing what they need to be doing. The therapist took off her shoes and looked at her feet and leg. They were not stiff. She said they both feel like an average leg.

The therapist did talk in depth about Cecilia's leg snapping. The best way to describe this is that her right leg looks a little rigid or hyperextended when she walks. It is more pronounced when she is tired which I think she was towards the end of this appointment. The therapist cut two little foam lifts to put under her heals in her shoes. These should help with the snapping. Also, strengthening her legs will help.

At some point during this appointment the therapist had Cecilia walking up and down stairs. While she was walking down the stairs she was alternating left and right. The therapist said that was great because the average age for that is 3-4. It's so easy to get excited about something so minor when it is your child.

The therapist said that when Cecilia gets to the place where more high level functioning with fine motor skills is required, like playing an instrument, it may take her a little longer to learn. That is good to know, but not discouraging to us at all.

It also seemed like at some point Cecilia might benefit from more frequent physical therapy. At this stage with her age and how well she is doing it isn't worth the benefits we would see.

Even though I heard the words "no brace ever" I am not letting myself be totally convinced of that. Our next physical therapy appointment will be in another month. I am really looking forward to it because we will be meeting with the physiatrist concurrently. When I have both the doctor and the therapist in a room together and they agree there will be no brace I will let myself believe it.

Shoes

So, shoes. Like many women I love a beautiful pair of shoes, but I also like a good deal. Knowing that Cecilia's shoes are, at least for now, acting as a substitute for a brace, I am taking my shoe mission very seriously. The insurance co-pay for a brace could easily be a few hundred dollars so these new shoes have no budget. Whatever we can do to help her walking improve we will do.

We went to a great local shoe store and they were incredibly helpful. Cecilia tried on a few pair of shoes and it was very clear to us that the Ecco's made an immediate difference in her walking. Sold. They were on sale and they were still $50. Yeesh.

Since this first shoe purchase I have kept looking for deals on the recommended brands of shoes. I have gotten lucky and Cecilia now has three pair of fancy shoes that currently fit her and a few more pair for her to grow in to. Nothing like getting shoes for half off to make you feel like you've won some shopping contest. SIlly, but true.

Physical Therapy

Going into our first physical therapy appointment filled me with mixed emotions. I was really looking forward to hearing what the therapist thought of Cecilia's walking and give us information to allow us to help her, but I had anxiety about Cecilia wearing a brace. I had a prescription for the brace in my pile of papers for two months. It was a constant reminder of Cecilia's diagnosis. You can't help but think that people are going to judge my child because something is different about her. I just kept thinking that no one is perfect. Everyone has issues and we just happen to know what Cecilia's are. She will be a stronger and more interesting person because of this.

The therapist came in to the waiting room to get us for our appointment. You could tell the therapist was evaluating her walking from the moment she met her. We walked down two long hallways and went in to a little room with gym mats, toys and a little table. I handed her the prescription for the brace. Almost immediately the therapist said that Cecilia may not need a brace because her foot dynamics looked good. I definitely had tears in my eyes at this point.

The physiatrist had seen Cecilia walking about two months ago. At that time, she had only been walking about six weeks. We had definitely seen a lot of progress in her walking, but to hear the therapist say she looked good felt great.

Overall, the therapist said that Cecilia's right side was looking good, but slightly less coordinated. She is good at squatting and keeping her balance. She also has good reflexes and can catch and protect herself with both arms when she stumbles. The therapist said again that a brace wouldn't be good right now. It would just slow her down.

The therapist recommended that we massage and stretch Cecilia's right leg. She also recommended that we have her wear her shoes at least half of the day and encourage her to climb and run around in weight bearing activities.

One of the important pieces of information that we learned at this appointment is how important shoes are for early walkers and especially for Cecilia. The therapist recommended getting a shoe that would be flexible and have a rounded heal that rocks forward when she walks. A shoe with a higher support around the ankle will give her ankle more feedback and help her stability. She mentioned looking at the brands Nike, Ecco and See Kai Run.

When we left this appointment I felt a sense of relief. I don't want to get my hopes up that there is no brace ever, but at least for now Cecilia is improving on her own. We will see the physical therapist again in one month and she will reevaluate her walking and the need for a brace.

Shoes are my next mission.