Retraining the membrane...Retraining the brain!

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July 26, 2014

I have missed a few of my dad's sessions this week due to, well, life. As you may have heard, "we plan, God laughs". Dr. DeMartino sent me this picture from the session on Wednesday.

As you can see my dad's back looks remarkably straighter than it has previously. Now, before people throw their hands in the air and shout Hallelujah!, this is only a start -- but a significant one. My dad is sitting in that picture. When he stands, he almost immediately goes back to the significant tilt many of us know and sympathetically dislike. Like most things, this doesn't mean "it's working" or "it's not working". It means baby steps are in place. That my dad can sit like this at all is significant. That he doesn't feel the need to strain as he does so, in fact feels very good, is very positive. There are other physical components, including retraining the hips and upper legs that needs to be done. But the training isn't just physical, and this is where it gets particularly fascinating to me.

I've written about proprioception before here, but I want to take it a bit further. According to Sajid Surve, DO, "Proprioception allows humans to control their limbs without directly looking at them. Take, for example, the complex task of driving. We are able to keep our eyes on the road and simultaneously adjust our arms and hands on the steering wheel, and apply the appropriate amount of pressure to the pedals to maintain speed." This takes the idea beyond just the brain - which is where the organs, muscles and nervous system as a whole come into play. The path those messages take are the spinal cord. For a fun further demonstration of the nervous system, please allow the good people of Schoolhouse Rock to demonstrate.

Like most things in our body, "use it or lose it" applies. Disease and injuries affect the body's effective use of this symptom and the number one risk for patients, particularly the elderly, is falling. Dr. DeMartino has discussed this and has worked with my dad on gait training, basically re-associating himself with how he walks. Over the years my dad has naturally compensated for the messages that weren't being delivered across his body due to the loss of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps send the signals. It's a cardinal sign of Parkinson's when dopamine is lacking or not being produced at proper levels in the body.

The bottom line for my dad is his journey continues. The overwhelmingly positive thing about all his therapy with Dr. DeMartino is that he has things to work on. He has active engagement in his health and knows there are things, daily, he is responsible to do that will make a significant difference in his life. Treating a patient this way, empowering him with responsibility and assuring him of his body's unique power over the doctor's magical wand (via pill or scalpel) is encouraging to see. The body is not a dumb piece of meat. We need to respect it, understand the environment it exists in and how all of those elements affect us, body, mind and spirit.

June 26 - comparing sitting...

and standing.

The Boys of Summer roll along, but we need your help to complete this year's journey. Please see our site for the latest on how to contribute. Thank you!