What “Learning to Walk” ACTUALLY Means (More Complex Than You’d Think!)
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- čas přidán 10. 01. 2020
- I realized I've never actually explained "learning to walk"...its a little more complicated than I once thought!
#learningtowalk #amputee #prosthetic
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Fourteen years of pain and failed ankle surgeries brought me to 2018, when I made the difficult decision to become a twenty-seven-year-old below-the-knee elective amputee. This channel is to document my journey of amputation surgery, recovery, and reclaiming my life.
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Day in the Life of an Amputee: • A Day in the Life of a...
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Thank you so much for listening - you make a real difference in my life, you enable me to be able to do what I love, and I am beyond grateful!
you're W A L K I N G!!!!!! Unassisted and really really steadily! You've come so far in the past few months. I'm so happy for you
When I lost all the strength in my legs I had to learn how to walk again. It’s been just under a year and I still can’t walk far and I need my crutches for long distance but it’s a process. There is a walking loop near my house and it’s 4km and my goal is to walk it without stopping by the end of the year
Maaggiie D I still have t gotten used to ,y prosthetic. I didn’t walk for a year. It’s hard.
Omg how are you doing now
I guess Im asking the wrong place but does anyone know a trick to log back into an instagram account?
I somehow forgot the password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me
@Killian Solomon instablaster :)
@Brendan Alberto I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im in the hacking process atm.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
As someone with 2 fully functioning legs this was really fascinating!! I’ll think about walking slightly different now!
I’ve you ever have any knee or foot issues you’ll quickly start thinking about it.
I never realized how much we use our ab muscles just for walking until I had major open abdominal surgery. It was pretty eye opening.
When i studied dance at Uni one of the 1st things we got taught was how to walk properly. It sounds strange as someone with a fully functioning body to be told you walk wrong but i noticed so many small things such as like you i had an old ankle injury and turned my foot out to compensate and it threw me completely out of whack. So its interesting to see someone elses perspective.
My first pro company class was "how to stand". 1 full hour of standing, walking, and releve. Absolutely eye opening! More for the girls on point but beneficial for me too!
@@forestbell4622 i never realized that i swing my hip out when i walk becase of a very old hip ingery ( broke my hip in infiancy)
@@forestbell4622 yes when they first said we are going to teachyou how to stand and walk i was suprised but it was so interesting.
This made me realize that I am walking incorrectly with my foot out towards the side. And my physical therapist told me to focus on my right foot and how it wasn't facing forward while doing the exercises
Scoliosis did this to me -- the times when I was in pain and unable to stand up straight and the world didn't care because I had to get to class or work forced me to learn to walk in a dozen different ways, none healthy. There are wonderful times when I can just walk without thinking, but occasionally I do trip myself up by going, "Wait what is my hip doing?" or "My toes aren't pointed the right way," and then it's like asking a basketball player if she breathes in just before a free throw, and she can't hit one to save her life because she's thinking too hard. o_O
nobody:
jo: *both* physically, mentally and emotionally
me: *wait a damn minute*
I have severe hypermobility so I tend to walk really tight and really waddly. Learning not to do that - you're absolutely right - is HARD!
If anything I have hypomobility. Sitting crossed legs feels tight and kneeling is very painfull.
I’m always having to focus on how I walk because I have hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy. Always interesting to learn about other people’s stuff. 😊 xx
rachelannemarie25 I have hemiplegia too, I dont focus on how I walk as much as I should
This was such a fascinating video! Four days ago I fell on a sheet of ice outside my apartment and messed up my knee on the way down. Still unclear what exactly I did, maybe just twisted it, but over the course of that day it completely locked up and I could barely walk. As of right now my gait has gotten much closer to "normal", but my range of motion still isn't good and I can't really bend my knee past 90 degrees. I only discovered your channel this week and have been working my way through your videos ever since, so it was really interesting having this happen right after I found your channel, because it definitely has made me realize how much I take for granted having joints that move and work the way they're designed to and to not have to think about walking, like you're describing here! I don't think I actually walk correctly at the best of times--I have a chronic pain condition that flares up in my hips/knees a lot, plus I'm technically hypermobile, and I remember a long time ago being diagnosed with "biomechanically challenged feet" (still have no clue what that means), so all in all I'm probably doing a lot of the "adjusting" that you mentioned, likely messing up all sorts of things in the process. Anyway, thank you for this really thorough and interesting explanation (and for all your content!). I'm going to go try walking around a bit and really pay attention about getting it right instead of letting myself adjust to avoid the pain in my knee. And I'll also subscribe :)
Thank you SO VERY MUCH, Jo❣️ I’m 65 & have ALWAYS been an AVID runner. @ around age 58, I stopped jogging & started waking only (13 minute mile). 1 1/2 years ago, I fell off of a 4 foot deck high deck, ruptured my left Achilles Tendon & damaged the nerves in my ankle. I came across your videos yesterday & now know why I was compelled to watch them. I am also “learning to walk again” in the same manner that you are. Because of my “damaged parts”, I am having to THINK about EVERY step I take & the mechanics of it. THIS is LIFE...Always changing & if we fight it & don’t CONTINUALLY adapt to those changes, we suffer. THIS is what you are teaching us. Life somethings makes HUGE swings in an opposite direction than we had planned. We either resist...or... morph ourselves to be at peace with it. This is our life. This is your life. Thank you for leading the march EVEN when you thought marching was not even possible anymore. Love and Light...Namaste...Adonai 💖💫
I have some weakness and restricted movement in my left ankle and foot because of nerve damage, so I actually compensate in pretty similar ways. This was actually really helpful!
Thanks for this. I'm a below knee amputee as well - also on the right side. I haven't walked unassisted since my car accident 2 years ago, and just got a new prosthetic leg. I've been trying to find a PT that does gait training, but it's hard. Practicing walking alone in the house is scary. Well, scary any time! I appreciate the outlook here. Very good tips, and very encouraging. I'm motivated now to put my leg on more often and practice. Thanks again...enjoying your videos!
Your so right about the whole adjusting to compensate for sports injuries. I got my knee kicked out playing soccer and I couldn't straighten it without pain for almost a year and even after that it would hurt if I used it a lot. To make up for not being able to straighten my knee, I locked my knee into a slightly bent position, and then raised my foot into a slight tiptoe position to make up the length lost at my knee. Its hard up explain without a picture or anything. I used this slightly weird way of walking to prevent pain and completely concealed my limp. I think I walked like that for a solid three years, just knee bent and on my toes. Now, instead of knee pain, it's foot and hip pain since those joints were not supposed to be used like that.
Lately I've been really trying to correct my walking, and what you said is so true. It feels so natural and normal to just walk, but it's not the correct way.
I know it's probably not as hard as fixing 15 years of bad walking, but it's still hard and frustrating
I have had several ankle sprains in my ankle and it’s caused an “unhealthy adjustment”. Although it’s not a fused ankle or amputated, it’s weird. I’m going to try to walk more consciously and see if I can correct it. Thanks for this video. you seem way brighter and happier here!
I’m so glad you’re finally getting gait training, physio gait training is so so important! In the uk we are taught this straight after our amputations, we are normally in physio for gait training twice a week (with daily home work physio) for about 6 months post chop. This is to protect the rest of your bodies long term and to stop us getting bad habits(the amputee side dip walk). Physiotherapy pre & post surgery is so important! There is the Ottobock fitness app which has physio gait training exercises that you can do at home if you can’t afford going to a rehabilitation physiotherapist. So glad your finally going back to physiotherapy Jo 🤗😍🤗
Yes I have now become aware of my walking but only as I found out a year ago I have arthritis in my right knee.
About this time last year I went to the Dr to find out why my knee hurt and after a scan got informed I had arthritis, I got to see a physiotherapist and she helped me work on building up the muscles in my leg to help support it. At the time I had noticed various aches and pains in my left leg and lower back but after treatment for my knee they vanished. I now understand, like you said in your video, that I had protected my bad knee but in doing so put too much pressure on my good one and put my whole body out of line.
Things have improved but I understand that the arthritis will continue to worsen, however I am now armed with the tools to slow that deterioration down.
So as I said, I do now notice how I walk now and think more about how approach each terrain so that I don’t fall back in to old habits of putting all the work on my good knee but balance the workload out so to keep the muscles on my right side as well.
Thanks for your vids, you and the hounds are most groovy!
No prosthetic for me, but complete ankle reconstruction last year. You are so right when you talk about the entire system, mind and many body parts, needing to reintegrate to walk. After so long of walking with an injury and the body compensating, it is very intriguing, and challenging, to relearn. Joints, muscles, ligaments and the brain, all need to figure out the new normal. You are doing fantastic Jo. Your videos are always honest, and I for one have hope when I see you pushing through and figuring it out. High five Jo!
I have EDS and it's been a year and a half that I'm working on adjusting my walking posture and still hard, still have to think about it when the pain is high but not so much anymore during the best moments. And that's really exhausting to think about engaging your abs and glute all the time, send you some virtual spoon !
I have EDS too
I clearly remember after my spine surgery having to “learn to walk” AKA torture! Its amazing how something you have done for so many years without thinking about it can go from this is simple to WOW walking is so much work mentally, physically and emotionally. I remember on day 6 post-op being told we are going for a loop to the nurses station and back ( which would have maybe been 30 steps there and 30 steps back) and getting to the nurses station and being so proud that I made it there but at the same moment so disappointed that I couldn’t make the 30 steps back to my bed. I was shaking in pain and exhaustion telling the nurses hold on! I really want to do this I don’t want to fail! But I remember having a nurse tell me just by making it out of bed was a huge accomplishment and that every step I did take is a victory, and to not push myself because you don’t want to go backwards in progress and there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying I need my wheelchair!
Footless Jo!
My adjustment took a comparatively short time. After 3 months of traction my legs were like 2 pieces of dead meat from the hips down. With the aid of my physiotherapist & a walking frame I reeducated my leg muscles in just over a month. People who have never been in the situation cannot comprehend the ABSOLUTE JOY of being able to get up & go whenever you feel like it. Body awareness is part of Mindfulness I think & it is such a KICK!
love
Steve Holliday
I know exactly what you’re talking about. My ankle was fused as well and never truly walked properly my entire life. I became an amp in June 2019 and learning to walk on the same foot as you. I’ve been taking physio since August and still have minor tweaking to work on. I find what really helps me is always engaging my core and butt and taking shorter steps (which is really hard for me to do). One thing my pt will use is a metronome (app on her phone) and adjust the speed etc to make sure you’re spending the same amount of time on your good foot and your prosthetic. I’m also planning on doing a 5K but in July! Would have never considered doing that before my surgery! Good luck and keep going strong!
It's neat to see how smoothly you walk when you put your mind to it... being meat footed (x2), I'd rather not try to think about what I'm doing while walking cuz I'll probably fall over. Keep up the good work!
From someone that has gone through a lot of gait training, I totally get how we compensate for pain. I have had bilateral hip replacements. During the second one, the dr lengthen my leg slightly to adjust for scoliosis surgery. My gait has been a huge challenge. I have also had 2 lumbar fusions. I truly have suffered with my gait being “artificially” adjusted multiple times. I don’t think I will ever walk right. Your body is not meant to have artificial things in it. My lack of movement in my lower back has caused long term pain referred to other parts of my body. Your gait has improved a lot. It is good for others to point out things we are doing that seems odd. The brains ability to compensate is both a blessing and a curse, lol. You seem to be making good improvements. I am so happy for you 💗🤗🙏🏻
I have EDS and have severe trouble with my left foot and ankle. I had to have reconstructive work done a few years ago and I have other issues that have kept me off of it with severe pain from time to time. So I definitely know what you mean about leaning to walk again as I’ve had to do it a couple times myself. It’s difficult and frustrating, but not impossible. I still think I turn my foot out to the left a little bit, but I have consciously had to correct it. Best of luck with your gait training, you’re doing great so far!
5 years ago I broke both my ankles at once, one requiring surgery to repair. As a result that one was for all intents and purposes “fused” because it was so swollen and the joint essentially didn’t move. Not on the same level as you, but I had daily pain and it wore me down and made me grumpy with my young kids :/
I want to say I found a fix overnight, but that’s not true. However, I did slowly work on my own solutions. Part of the reason I’m recounting this is because I discovered the work of Katy Bowman, a biomechanist and proponent of what she calls “nutritious movement”. She is amazing at explain biomechanics and why body awareness is so important in terms and visuals that are easy to understand. She’s got a great podcast too, I devoured all, nearly 100 of them in a very short period of time. She talks about a bunch of the things that you just did, like turning out your foot to compensate, which messes up your knee and hip, etc. Which is how I ended up with arthritis in the “bad” ankle and the opposite knee, from my compensation pattern (I walked a lot like you demoed in the video). Her book “Whole Body Barefoot” is all about the biomechanics of walking and how do it mindfully in a way that helps you be able to move well into the future. And it includes stretches you can do to help gradually repair your alignment.
Over the past 3.5 years I have slowly worked on making the connections to repair my body as much as possible. When it really started to come together for me at an even higher level was this fall when I decided to trial a Keto based diet (with help from a dietician) to see if it would help address the constant inflammation in my body, and in my ankle especially. And it did (not that I’m telling anyone to go that route, it just worked for *me*). As a result I have been able to make a ton of progress at a nearby CrossFit gym, which puts a lot of priority on ensuring good body mechanics before anything else. And last month I started skipping rope for the first time since I was a kid!
As I said, it hasn’t been a straight forward line. In Jan 2018 I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, did over a year of intense treatment, including a mastectomy, and gained a bunch of weight and other physical and digestive problems, but slowly, ever so slowly, I kept taking steps in what felt like the right direction, and it is finally paying off, for which I am very much grateful. I don’t think anyone can truly appreciate the joy and freedom it is to move through your day without pain until they lose it. And to regain at least some of it is a huge gift that we will never take for granted!
When I had my knee replaced a big part of the rehab is learning to walk normally again, not compensating, and using muscles that have been surgically altered (prior to my TKR I had 7 surgeries on that knee including an ACL repair in my 20’s that a surgeon totally screwed up, and it took another surgeon 3 open surgeries to fix)
I have had two total knee replacements as I have osteoarthritis. They were done six months apart. The fact they cut through some of the muscle was the worst part but learning to walk again was painful and tedious. My muscles have all healed and I work out at the gym but my legs are still not my own. I am slow. I stumble. I have to use a stick. I just can't see the day were i bend my knees to squat or sit on the floor and get up. To have a bath. I can't put any weight on my patella so I'm limited in my movements. Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing. What would have my bones be like if I'd kept them. Something so simple and it takes over your life. It's top of the list in anything I have to do. I had to get an automatic car. Just small things. I think you are doing great and I'm sure you have days you would like to throw Sunshine away. You are brave and it's still early days. I'm five years in to my first surgery. I have had numerous on both knees and I'm still learning without my stick. I take a bucket full of painkillers during the day. Should this be right when it was meant to fix the pain. I'm lost. I am glad i can walk a little. I should be grateful but i feel I'm not normal. Without the stick I stagger and I fear people think I'm drunk. With the stick I feel old and done in. I get so much motivation from you. I realise you struggle to but you seem to have a positive head. Good luck with the continued walking and keep going with the videos please. Take care and stay safe 💖💖💖
After I got my hip replacement I also realized how much actually goes into walking as I learned how to walk again. Physical therapists are amazing and I cannot stress how much PT helped me get back on my feet!
I love the way you articulated all the components it tastes to walk.
I had surgery of my ACL in my right knee. I had to walk with crutches for 4 weeks. When I did my first step without crutches, I had tears of joy in my eyes :)
Learned to walk again last year after ankle fracture and a few months of not weight bearing. Still using a stick outside a fair bit but I agree, it's fascinating and hard work. You walk way better than me at this point. Keep up the excellent work xx
I've done a lot of physical therapy for my left amputated leg, and as of midnight here, have had my Össur prosthetic leg on for more than 24 hours, fell asleep with it on yesterday, did so much and decided to heck with it, but getting ready to pull it off, think the leg does well, but my face was hurting worse since I got slammed by moving a bed into a wall and had knocked a filling out of my mouth, sliced my upper lip inside and out, and busted my nose helping move a bed. All that got fixed early yesterday morning on the 16th of January, glad my doctor whom fixed my tooth saw me when he did, very amazing young doctor, we talk about interesting things in his office like how Vikings sharpened their teeth years ago, and how if I don't keep the teeth fixed it can cause heart attack, and since I lost an organ in 2018 after dual organ transplants way back in 2011 always have to pre-medicate before seeing doctors for cutting procedures or dental junk, due to my low immune system on anti-rejection meds. But I rented a room to a very unique genius literally, he used to date Lydia Lunch the musician, and has contacts all over the world in his work including royal families and more, and degree similar to my fiueld and other areas and was a former cook and helping build muscle mass with his professional cooking skills back into my cut off leg, which helps a lot. Any way wish you the best Jo and your family, and I had to have my Össur leg adjusted many times before it got lined up well for the different shoes and boots I use. My favorite is the custom made Anodyne boots, but I have three pair of custom made boots and a custom made pair of tennis shoes for jogging which also add a tremendous help for mobility. But even so, moving a bed after 18 months post leg amputation and about a year of that recovery time with two prosthetic legs, shrinking of the swelling, and on and on, still not mobile enough to deal with huge objects like I was before I lost my leg, but putting it into perspective, takes a baby about two or even more years to actually see a child get up and walking on two legs, some upt to three years old, or four. My donor though, whom was a ballet and jazz dancer that died and saved my life was doing ballet at age three whom her kidney is still alive in my body, so guess moving heavy objects like beds and such that are huge was biting off a bit more than I should have expected to be able to handle well for what is missing out of my body with all the surgeries since December 7th, 2011, the day after my donor died and loaned me her living organs, and her pancreas lived six and half years than scar tissue caused it to entangle in my small intestine and nearly killed me on April 7th, 2018, then on July 9th, 2018 due to the vein they cut out, and they used to plug in my donors organ's after her pancreas in my body died, and all that scar tissue inside and out, lucky that I can make my abdomen move considering was cut in half twice down the middle and across my abdomen. It hurts in winter too, but I bite the pain issue back and force myself to put it out of mind and keep doing what seems to slam into my life trying to do what I used to do and amazed at how much I didn't look at how blessed it really is to have the ability to just simply move around with high dexterity with two legs before amputation. Miss it, but such is life, new challenges every day time moves forward, tired but I keep pushing the limits doctors tell me way past what they say my body can handle, and having the prosthetic on so long, and not so bad is nice. But I know when I take the leg off, it will probably be a Friday with not being able to handle using it, will see. I just challenge myself, might be dumb but my anger with the issues makes me fight to try, and now time to take this thing off and go to sleep. Thanks for your posts, they help a lot.
Currently dealing with plantar fasciitis and this has given me more reason to think about getting phsysio.
What you describe sounds like mindful walking [meditation]. Being aware of what your body is doing can be a head trip but it can also be pretty good for grounding reasons!
There's a lot of places we go on autopilot for and could be served well by taking the wheel more often.
(This also made me think about how when I was a kid, I'd be looking down a lot and shuffled my feet constantly, until I got some guidance/reminders to try not to do that. It did help me mind how I was carrying myself.)
I had an ankle injury and had to go to physical therapy and there they made me think about how I walk. During the injury I obviously couldn't put too much weight on the ankle, so I got used to limping/taking smaller steps/etc.
It was definitely interesting to think about walking correctly!
Thanks for sharing this! I have thought about walking as i do it. I am able bodied, but see a chiropractor for alignment issues that cause lower back pain. So i do think a lot about my core and strides. My back feels so much better when i do.
Chris" (Amped Life) advice made a huge difference to my body alignment. Pretend (1) that you have a string puling straight up thru your body and head and (2) that you have a towel wrapped around your hips to keep your hips tilted forward. Really helped with my hip and back pain. But like you, I am also going back a physical therapist to build strength and balance.
I find myself looking down when I go for a walk (to the mailbox) and I think your advice here will help me be more aware of my walking habits. (Look at you, straightening out my life! 😊)
Okay as I am an amputee I now notice how everyone walks after my prosthetic training. Turns out I never walked properly and now I do😊 When I am tired I find I resort to "hot cold walking" which is what my physio called it. I think you are doing amazing with your walking!!
I'm a young French podiatrist, and we have an entire matter about how we walk! First percent: what does you foot your knee your hip, what angle do they have, which muscles are used, what do they do? Next percent... It is extremely long and difficult to learn but fascinating!
I had to learn how to correctly walk again.. though not for the same reason, I have a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos that causes among many other things joint pain, dislocation and due to those two my joints are very unstable, so I had to use bracing for my ankles, knees, hips, back, wrists, fingers, shoulder... so it was safer for me to walk, due to the illness being a progressive one I have used a wheelchair for almost 4 years now and I have a personal care assistant that helps me daily too. I have had the same thoughts about walking as you! :D
Some specialist athletic shoe shops have gait analysis machines for similar reasons. You are clearly now thinking like an elite athlete not just an amputee lol
I’m a massage therapist, and I see lots of people who have foot/ankle injuries who also have knee, hip, or low back pain, sometimes on the same side or sometimes on the opposite side. Changing your gate even slightly can have a huge effect on your whole body
I had to learn to think about walking twice in my life! Once when I had a foot surgery as a teenager and then again in these past weeks because I had run my first marathon and didn't expect "recovery" to be so difficult! My right knee took running harder than my left so I unconsciously compensated for it by making my left knee work harder recently and my gait felt so unnatural! Now I'm having to even think how I stand and sit in a chair because my body feels like it wants to collapse in on itself like a house of cards! I know it's not even remotely the same thing but I say all of that to say this; I understand where your coming from with the unaligned walking leading to a bunch of different skeletal muscular issues!
Sidenote: If you've read this far into the comment I'm going to tell you about the foot surgery I had...
Ok so when I was 13 (oddly enough) I had a bunion removed! Now I know what you must be thinking " bunion gross aren't those only on old people? I can assure you that they are not. Anyways, this was so bad I couldn't walk correctly. It looked like a sixth toe was growing out of my left foot and this bone shoved my big toe almost underneath the one next to it! It hurt to wear closed shoes but I had to because I was ashamed of the way it looked even knowing that made the situation worse! So that summer I had it removed. They had to take out the bone and muscle that made my toe bend that way!
Keep walking tall; your amazing!
Thank you for this, really interesting. My left hip and butt started in 2017 ish? having major issues of an overly tight muscle and pain which sometimes itself causes my left thigh to start to go numb when i stand or walk "wrong" and it all comes back to the fact that i broke my foot in 2004 when i was 14 years old and in 2012 i fused the joints in my foot and got a metal plate in there etc. Oh and on top of all that I've had Scoliosis my whole life, never treated because the angle was never "that bad". It's all affecting the rest of my body now and since 2017 and I'm still in my early 30s. I want this body to provide me the best quality of life it can for many decades to come. So i want to do what i can to be aligned. Thank you for this thoughtful explanation and video!
I think it's really intriguing to how many people can relate to the the thought process of walking correctly. I myself am extremely pigeon toed and never think abut how I walk, so I have hip and lower back pain and developed acute Scoliosis due to my body attempting to correct my gaint. If I do focus on my walk, where I force my hips and feet straight and follow the movements my pain levels reduce dramatically
About 2.5 years after I woke up from a coma i had to relearn how to walk part of it was muscle loss but part of it was i hurt my head when i fell so I also had some issues with that. I spent about 2 weeks or so in the rehab wing of the hospital and then about 1.5 weeks in Health South (now Health America). I had also walked different because of my ankles so I walked more on the sides of my feet. Great video as usual I've been watching since your trauma talk channel days. I love you Jo. I thankfully don't have to think about walking anymore it was eye opening back then though.
I have definitely had to put conscious thought into my walking, but for a very different reason! When I was 11, I got rheumatoid arthritis. It has affected many different parts of my body, but in my legs it has particularly affected my right knee (for which I had a procedure and had to adjust my walking for a little while) and my left hip. My hip is the one that’s caused me issues for years. Usually, I’m okay walking. But when I get sore I tend to angle my foot out because it puts my hip at a more relaxed angle.
I can relate. I sprained an ankle and didn't properly rehab it. I soon got plantar fasciitis and again changed the way I walked and ran. While going through PT, I learned to 'embrace' the pain without compensating. With PT and walking and running normally, I was eventually pain free.
You are such a beautiful human. My very dear friend just went through a leg amputation and could use all the support she can get. I introduced her to your channel and she loves you, too!
I have had to do this 4 times in my life so I absolutely understand! 3 times for my hip and once for my foot/ankle.
You do get into a new "auto-pilot " after a while so hang in there. One of the things I still really have to think about is stairs. I can go up stairs one after the other, no problem. But coming down stairs, I can only do one at a time and I must start a step with my bad side. People tell me all the time that this is weird but realistically, up and down are two different actions and involve different muscles and stability.
It's been 4 months since my ACL repair surgery in my right knee and I'm still, every single day, struggling to walk normally again. It has gotten a lot better, bu I still have a slight limp. The problem is that I often have problems extending my knee completely (especially after long periods of sitting down) and I am also just missing a lot of muscle still. Crazy how much muscle you lose when not walking on it for just a couple of weeks!
At this point I also feel like I have gotten so many corrections about my walking that I am overthinking it. And limping because I am just trying so hard to do everything right.
My goal is to get back to riding horses eventually.. usually I would be allowed to do that in 2 months. But I feel like I am so far behind on the recovery process (cannot even got down stairs correctly!) that it is going to take a lot longer than that. Also going to the gym 2 to 3 times a week to get those muscles back..
I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing as I am in the process of learning to walk again. Your videos have helped me "step by step" 😂 find my way through my below the knee amputation. Again, thank you! 💙
You probably know it's a metaphor to say your muscles need to learn, but when we talk about "muscle memory," it's actually really cool what's happening in the brain - this white stuff called myelin gets wrapped around the nerves. Myelin was thought to be completely useless compared to neurons, but when they cut open Einstein's brain and found a ton of it, they reconsidered. Now scientists know it's the stuff that controls when neurons fire. The more of it there is around a nerve, the more accurately that neuron fires, and the more automatic (and automatically correct) a behavior is. There's a really cool book called The Talent Code about it by Daniel Coyle. Turns out really slow, conscious practice is the best way to build myelin!
I wonder how this realates to second langauge aquisition. It turns out that listeneing and reading content in that language that you can just understand or figure out is the best way to go and that actualy pronouncing or writing things down only helps with the pronunciation and writing themselves.
I'm going to share this video on Facebook because it does explain my re learning how to walk process super well, too. I still have both of my legs, but after both of my knee suergeries I had to learn how to walk again as well. I'm still walking in an unhealthy way because my body was trying to protect my knees. That's why my back and my hips hurt a lot.
Trying to learn in another way is really complicated. It's so weird having to think about how to walk all the time.
I love your videos. Even though I'm an abled body person, I watch your videos and the videos of other disabled youtubers because I´m fascinated how people manage to cope with their disabilities and can still live a full life. I love to see you doing progress and getting better and I am amazed by how far you have come. I´m Sorry if I made mistakes but I´m from Germany and English is not my first Language, I´m still learning. Thank you so much for your Videos and I wish you all the best!
Just discovered your channel and it's been very educational! I loved seeing your progress and it's amazing! I'm an animator and i've studied walk cycles to be able to recreate them! Kudos on your recovery and keep that smile!
You are so correct. I still have my legs, well mostly, as both knees are titanium. Having walked with a cane for nearly 10 years and using the cane to offload weight from them, I too taught myself the wrong way to walk. As you indicated, that causes other problems, and in my case, I now have a very crooked back. About a year ago I had a lumbar fusion and that will take the starch right out of you for many months. I am now walking, standing and learning to walk again and trying as you are to do it upright. Good video Jo, I think you are inspiring to a lot of folks, and while I don’t share your condition, for those who do your straight forward yet humorous approach to sharing goes a long way towards helping them. Bravo Zulu
Great to see you learning to walk again just take it one day at at time you seem like a very determined person love you jo i know you'll make great progress
Great vid Jo! In many ways it’s more difficult for you than for me... being a doubler meant that my prosthetist has a bit more of a blank canvas and didn’t have to be so precise with height and alignment as a unilateral amputee - there’s twice the opportunity to “dial a problem out!”
Did occur to me though that you’re making life difficult for yourself - I presume your foot was set up in a shoe. Your heel will be off the floor!
I’m hoping to do a 5km this year - but I think you’ll beat me to it! Maybe we could have a little wager on who will do it first and fastest!! Lol
You really have made amazing progress! I have severely sprained my ankle before and had to undergo lengthy PT. Learning to walk properly again was part of that process. At the therapist explained, my affected foot and ankle 'forgot' how to behave normally during the recovery. Because of that, my foot wouldn't push off at the back of the step normally. Watching you walk here reminds me of that. Since your artificial foot doesn't have that capability (I'm assuming that), you are also missing the push. Maybe a spring-loaded joint would make a difference? Though that might compromise the rest of the step process. Just a thought. Anyway, getting your body and mind to relearn 'simple' behaviors like walking is not easy. I do hope you get back to PT. I think that's a 'good step' for you. Ha ha! Great video!!
I've never had to think about walking from an injury perspective, but as a former ballet dancer I can totally relate! At dance classes you learn how to use very specific muscle groups (like there are different ways to use the muscles in your feet to land from a jump, and it depends on the jump what muscles you should use). So basically I'm saying your a ballerina!❤️
I had surgery to correct a bunion on my big toe that I'd had since I was probably around 10. It always ached and so I adjusted the way I walked (unconsciously) to compensate. For a year or two before I had the correction surgery, it REALLY started to hurt, to the point where I couldn't bend my toe without it really hurting and I couldn't walk more than a minute or two without feeling significant pain. (Because of the position of my bones, my big toe was half-dislocated and had only been using half of the joint... ouch) So, after the surgery and 6 weeks on a knee scooter and four more weeks walking in a boot, I could finally walk with two shoes on!
I mentioned to my doctor that I would have to relearn how to walk, and he just sort of brushed it off, saying it would be like riding a bike. Well... if you've ridden a bike wrong for the last 25 years, it's difficult to ride it correctly. I still found myself turning my foot to the side and walking on the right side of my foot, putting no pressure on my toe joint. So, like Jo, I had to relearn how to walk and am acutely aware of the position of my body.
I at least have a foot though, so it was probably an easier process to learn how to walk. Good luck, Jo! I wish you the best, and I feel for you and you have my best wishes with continuing your journey to walking properly and doing anything you want on your new leg!
It's so exhausting to have to think about walking! I broken my right ankle as a kid and as a result walked 'turned out' on that foot for years it's still a little turned out but nowhere near as bad... then I got my left foot fused (think of my foot with the same amount of mobility as your prosthetic foot but with a somewhat functioning ankle joint) and I ended up turned out slightly on that side and with a significant limp which stuffed my knee and lower back. If I'm having a bad pain day, or tired or don't think about it I revert back to that limping turned out position until sometime calls me on it or asks if I'm okay then I mentally switch on and focus on every position, landing and just overall gait. I've learnt that if I can kind of take the time to put some RockTape on my legs (not in a structural support way but two vertical strips from my to my foot with a slight gap in between) the tape helps to 'trigger' my mental process as the tape pulls slightly when twisted, I'm terrible at knowing where in space my left foot is so the tape really helps with that too
Listening you the sound of your steps also helps give a lot of information on how you walk.
A little while ago, I watched a video narrated by a foot doctor. It's amazing the "engineering" that goes into the design of a foot that we take for granted. One day, you're un-able to walk normally and do the things one normally does. That's when one ponders the gifts we've been given. In the mean time, I now know (and understand) that it takes time to heal. I've not lost hope in my vision to be able to run a mile. I'm hoping to be able to walk behind my power mower and cut our three acres of grass. There will be no trophy, ribbon or bronze medallion, there will only be gratefulness as I allow the body the time it needs to miraculously heal itself. This is hope. I don't think I spend enough time being grateful.
Glad to see you are making so much progress. I recently practically had to learn to walk again after a health incident and found going down stairs to be the biggest challenge due to lack of balance.
As an able-bodied person, I do think about the nuances of walking when I have to walk for long distances efficiently, like hiking, or better, hiking on icy trails. Core engagement, weight alignment , which part of the foot lands first, etc. They fade into the background after a while, but are still somewhat there, making me walk differently to “everyday sloppy walking”.
I have patellar subluxation in both knees and have had reconstructive surgery for both. I still walk throwing my feet out to the sides the way I compensated for my kneecaps to be in the wrong place. This has done a number to my hips, low back and pelvis.
I totally understand! I had my foot fused then had an ankle replacement done before my amputation. And you are so right about the way we walk depending on the situation. I notice I " limp " with my prosthesis but I am just starting to get the hang of it. My problem was my Tibia rubbing against the socket...ouch!!! But its been adjusted, I got my cane and I start my 24 weeks of PT this week. Plus getting a new suction system and graduating to a K3 here soon too! You go girl and thank you for pointing this out! #amputeebuddies4life
Once I was off the walker and then off the cane, I just concentrated on taking natural steps working on heel-toe movement. Another big part is trusting the leg and foot. When you are able think of your below knee prosthetic as just another part of you, it seems to become more natural. Above knee amputees have to learn a whole new way of walking.
Oh my gosh I can relate! I had my right leg lengthened (to correct a 30 year limp) and I'm having the hardest time figuring out how to walk. When I tell people they just stare at me. I've never had to bend my right knee because it was shorter than the other leg. Now the muscles that I should've been using are too weak and the muscles I don't need as much now are too tight! I also stare at my feet as a walk (I just recently transferred from walker to cane). I keep "limping" even though I no longer have a limp.
I have permanent nerve damage down my entire right leg. I had to relearn how to walk when it happened. Then I had my foot fused (not ankle yet just part of the foot) & had to adjust my walking once again. The fusion didn’t really help & I am so tired of the constant pain. My entire right leg is weak so the slightest issue causes me to have pain throughout my entire body. At one point my doctor talked about fusing my ankle & toes (they bend completely backwards with every step). I don’t know that it would even be worth it at that point. People that have two fully functioning legs & feet have no idea of the struggle. 😢 You’re doing great though & I hope you continue!!
Wow! That is a big difference! I'd call that progress. Thanks for this. It's actually quite interesting and also helpful.
Well done!! This is so much harder then we think!! I had real gait issues when I started on a prosthetic too. Cos I couldn’t put my heel to the floor when I got injured that hasn’t helped, also when it got to the stage where I was permanently on crutches I struggled trusting it wouldn’t cause me pain on my prosthetic side. Even now hopefully when I finally get a socket on I’m not going to be able to walk right!! Thanks for this though really informative
I had a childhood TBI so my gait is abnormal. When I *really* focus on it, I can walk somewhat normally. But when I’m tired or relaxed at home, I drag my left foot like crazy.
This is fascinating to me as a person with both limbs, but a long history of leg problems. I was born with physical defects in my feet and ankles, I forget exactly what the condition is called but it meant that I had casts for the first year of my life that encased my feet and stretched all the way to my hips. The desired effect of this was to align my feet and legs properly. As a result though one of my legs still never fully aligned just right, a lot of my steps often are exactly as you described with one foot pointed outward to my side and me knee and hips naturally twisting in the same direction. To this day I have to consciously stop myself from walking that way as it is the way my body naturally learned to walk as a result of those braces.
Jo, your hair looks absolutely fabulous in this video!
dealing with CRPS the past two years in my foot, I had to completely relearn how to kind of walk again... and I've been dealing with alignment issues since things are definitely compensating for the pain and that I'm still not quite there...
And yes... go to PT!!!!😉
Yes I’ve had to think about it: I had a severe patellar (kneecap) dislocation and every step was shaky.... obviously not as severe as having a part of a limb amputated but I did have to think about every step as you’ve said in your great video!!
I have Spina Bifida, meaning that my nerves are all out of whack, and I have very little feeling and no movement below my knee. I also apparently can't do anything with my glutes. I haven't walked more than a shuffled step or two here and there in like 5 years, and I've been really wanting to get back into it since I started watching your videos, but I just worry I'll get the braces and crutches I need but I won't use them. Oh well, I'll figure out what I want to do with that later. When I did walk, I had a habit of moving both of my forearm crutches at once rather than one with the opposite legs, and I'd just focus on my thigh because that's about all I could use to walk, especially when I was on the treadmill. I never thought about it too much because the KAFOs (knee-ankle-foot-orthotics) I had made my legs pretty well aligned and straight, but at the same time, my knees would often be together with my ankles splayed more apart, which would mean my the hinges of my orthotics at my knees would get caught together and I'd fall. Hopefully someday soon I can get back to it and learn how to do it properly.
I found your channel last year right after my dog got his leg amputated. I couldn’t watch at the time because it actually made me feel more upset. I guess I needed more time to grieve. But I’m so glad I came across it again.
It was once told that if I looked at the ground that was where I would end up. I have Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder and walk with sticks. Even before then I always looked down as my feet bend in and I scuff my toes a lot. Looking up has made so much difference. I’ve spent my entire life thinking about how I walk, but it’s great when I know that I’m making positive changes. Thanks for sharing your tips!
Also yoga has really helped me in recognising my body’s alignment when I’m walking. After several years it’s a little more ingrained into me anyway :)
I was fused for 11 years and all of what you say is so true. My body was way out of alignment for years which I dealt with by getting Physio/
massage/chiropractor, etc. It’s still not 100% but I walk better now for sure.
I'm glad you're learning to walk again. Is the slight limp because of the prosthetic length or just a left over bad habit? Good luck with the training and the race!
About three years ago I fractured my left arm just under my shoulder from snowboarding. It was in a sling from the end of January to March and even after I didn’t need the sling anymore I still wasn’t supposed to use my arm for another couple weeks. But once I could use my arm again I thought about what I would normally do with my arm when I did anything, even just walking or putting dishes away I had to think about how I would normally use my arm and it was pretty weird for a while😂😂 not really the same thing but that’s how i can kind of relate to what you’re saying😂
I think you going to see a physical therapist again is a very good idea. Its their job to help figuring out something like that with you and show you how to learn to walk correctly. It helped me a lot.
But I am amazed how far you came on your own.
Up until it closed in the 90's I used to get my prosthetics made at RALAC in North Sydney. They had this great area to practice walking, it was like a playground with sand and gravel pits and wood ramps and stairs. You could test out your new legs on different types of surfaces inside the center and tell the techs what needed altering in terms of alignment and fitting. It was alot more interesting than walking up and down between the hand rails over and over again.
I changed the way I walk in high school. I used to duck walk. Never bothered me as a kid until high school. Used to think why didn’t any tell me, how come no one corrected me as a little kid. To stop I had to concentrate and think about every single step to ensure my feet were pointing forward and not off to each side as I walked. When I didn’t concentrate I went straight back to duck walking. So long ago now but I think after a year or so of being conscious about it (with the beginning few months having to be constantly vigilant!) I stopped duck walking without having to think about it. Now I walk normally and never think about it and haven’t had to since that year in high school.
This was so interesting! I definitely think in your position it’s less about walking in a way that “looks” right and more what’s best for you long term. Super cool video, I really enjoy your content and just learning about people.
Thank you so much, Jayson!!
After getting fibromyalgia a few years ago, and at the same time finding out I have minor hyper flexibility in my joints (not as severe as eds) Ive been forced to think about how I move my body much more. And I still have much to learn.
The difference between the smaller steps and the full steps makes such a big difference!
I'm naturally pigeon toed, so in my teen years I made the conscious effort to walk with my feet straight. It definitely took time to become a habit. I still have the occasional moments, usually when I'm feeling uncomfortable for some reason, where my right foot starts turning in, but then I just think about it for a while and I'm good again.
I have RA. Back in 2003 my right knee became very painful. I had to lock it to walk. Due to shenanigans by a major aircraft company (starts with B), our company lost it's military contract. Lay offs ensued. I worked at a call center, very stressful, and RA got worse, going to full-body agony. 2010-- ended up disabled. After 3 years on opioids, I quit cold. Total body pain hasn't resumed, and I am working on climbing stairs using my right leg, and remembering to bend my right knee when I walk.
I have EDS and my left knee has always been one of my main problems; so much so that I damaged nerves in my right leg with overcompensating. My physical therapist is always telling me that my body has all sorts of maladaptive methods for moving.
i just want to tell you that you truly are an inspiration, had my hip replacement surgery in november and you help, a lot :)
Bilateral knee replacement made me have to learn to walk again. As I've aged, I find that I sometimes do not fully extend my knees. So I occasionally have to do physical therapy to help me to remind myself to walk correctly.
Good vid 29 of June lost below knee right leg haven't got new leg been watching your vids very informative thks
When I broke my femur a couple years ago, I also had to learn how to “walk” again. I walked about the same as you.... I was protecting my leg and didn’t bend my knee. My husband had to remind me and I really had to practice and I had a limp for a while. It’s a lot better now lol
As an autistic, I have definitely given a lot of thought to how I walk. I know I can have a strange gait, and I've tried to understand why and to learn to compensate. There was also the time when I wore an orthosis for seven weeks due to a knee injury, and the months after that as I was rebuilding my muscles, so I had to think about it then. BTW, wow at your improved conscious walking! You got this!!!