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.