Soccer

Katie is back at school and is doing very well.  I have heard from several teachers and therapists how well she is walking, much more balanced and upright. This is such good news to hear after we did the therasuit therapy with her, I think she is doing awesome. She seems to be walking slower and a bit more calculated. Here is a video of Katie doing a little homework before school this morning.

Therasuit info

Just got back yesterday from 10 days in Colorado with Katie.  The flights went well, thanks to a few sticker books!

So, this therapy...

Therasuit therapy is a specialized therapy that uses a suit which has elastic bands on it that can be tightened where the child needs more input.  It basically puts you in your best posture.  The therapist then does exercises with you in it for three weeks (an hour a day) and the thought is that it takes your muscles (and maybe brain, too?) three weeks to develop and remember these new movements. The hope is after the three weeks you will walk better and have better balance, etc... without the suit on.

Tom, our therapist - who is REALLY awesome! - also spent an hour a day with Katie without the suit on, doing specific exercises with her laying down on a type of massage table using pulleys and weights and resistance to strengthen her gluteal muscles.  He said he could tell she wasn't using her gluteus minimus muscles (and some others, too) when she is walking.

If Katie wasn't walking at all then he would spend another hour doing some other exercises.

Here are some videos of Katie:


strengthening legs with pulleys and resistance

last day in suit

last day without suit on

I have some homework to do with her: throwing socks on the floor and having her pick them up one at a time (for squatting), having her walk up and down curbs and on and over things hoping that she will know the difference between on and over, and having her walk slowly instead of racing forward trying to catch her legs up to her upper body. Also, having her kick a ball down a hallway or in a grassy area to work on focusing, which she could use some help with.

Katie is doing so well!  While visiting my family in Colorado we didn't work on this homework as much as I will here at home, but my mom has stairs, so we were able to work on going up and down those quite a bit.  My mom also pulled out some musty old dolls that my sisters and I recognized after 35 years and Katie enjoyed picking them up, hugging those scary things, and putting them back in the box.

My whole family though Katie was doing really well and could see a difference in her balance and stability.  I can't say enough about this therapy, it was just amazing!  We may have her go back at some point for a refresher.

For now, homework.