December 24, 2008
I have a focus
I have been struggling to find a focus with my blog entries. I enjoy writing about whatever topic is on my mind at the moment, but I need to have a cohesive thread to run through my blog entries. I have found it, and it starts on January 5th. WATCH THIS SPACE.
December 2, 2008
The Extensionater
I did an entry about a week ago about the 10 things that suck about being disabled. I forgot to mention one--my legs. Because I sit down all of the time, I have VERY TIGHT hamstrings. So, even when I stand up on crutches, my legs do not extend all of the way. When I stand, I am about 5'6". However, if my legs were straight, I would be at least three or four inches taller.
When I lie in bed at night on my back, the backs of my knees do not lay flat, and they come up several inches off the bed. It's actually a pretty severe contracture of my knee and hamstring. I just went to a physical therapist, and she measured the degree of contracture to be 40 degrees. So, my legs are VERY TIGHT. But, I don't think they will be that way for long. I found a device to help my legs, and it's so simple...and so effective.
It's called an "Extensionater" and it's made by a company called ERMI. I have included a picture of it, and you can kind of see how it is used. I lay my leg onto the device, and attach a velcro strap over my knee and then through the frame of the device. After my leg is strapped in, I pump up the velcro. Note: the device is on the right of the picture.
It is essentially a big air bladder that applies downward pressure on the top of my leg. During this time, I have my heel placed in the heel cradle, and I am receiving upward pressure at the heel. The combination does an incredible stretch.
The reason why I wanted to do a blog entry about it is because it has made me very enthusiastic about using my crutches. When my legs are straighter, it will be much easier to stand up. Then, I'll have more stamina with the crutches. So, I am VERY HAPPY that I found this piece of equipment. My insurance did not cover it, but it wasn't very expensive to purchase--and it's worth it.
My physical therapist told me about this piece of equipment, but I wanted to learn more about it. But, I had a hard time finding out much information about it online. So that's another big reason why I am writing this blog. Hopefully I can help somebody out that is in my situation. :)
When I lie in bed at night on my back, the backs of my knees do not lay flat, and they come up several inches off the bed. It's actually a pretty severe contracture of my knee and hamstring. I just went to a physical therapist, and she measured the degree of contracture to be 40 degrees. So, my legs are VERY TIGHT. But, I don't think they will be that way for long. I found a device to help my legs, and it's so simple...and so effective.
It's called an "Extensionater" and it's made by a company called ERMI. I have included a picture of it, and you can kind of see how it is used. I lay my leg onto the device, and attach a velcro strap over my knee and then through the frame of the device. After my leg is strapped in, I pump up the velcro. Note: the device is on the right of the picture.
It is essentially a big air bladder that applies downward pressure on the top of my leg. During this time, I have my heel placed in the heel cradle, and I am receiving upward pressure at the heel. The combination does an incredible stretch.
The reason why I wanted to do a blog entry about it is because it has made me very enthusiastic about using my crutches. When my legs are straighter, it will be much easier to stand up. Then, I'll have more stamina with the crutches. So, I am VERY HAPPY that I found this piece of equipment. My insurance did not cover it, but it wasn't very expensive to purchase--and it's worth it.
My physical therapist told me about this piece of equipment, but I wanted to learn more about it. But, I had a hard time finding out much information about it online. So that's another big reason why I am writing this blog. Hopefully I can help somebody out that is in my situation. :)
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