One Step, Two Steps: Part 1

Did you start singing Pink’s “Walk of Shame” when you read the title of this post? Anyway, as you may know, I can’t walk without some kind of support, however, I walk most days when the weather is good. I bought my walking frame in 2019, thanks to the amazing people who donated to my fundraising page. I didn’t get much chance to use it until I got my flat because there was no room around my mum and dad’s house, but since I’ve had my own home, I’ve had more opportunities to go for walks.

Last year, in the spring and summer months, I found a new hobby: I’ve found that I love going for walks, both in my wheelchair and walking frame. Ever since I have lived in my flat, I have liked going for walks in a beautiful country park, which is virtually on my doorstep. I always go in my wheelchair here because I don’t know how I’d cope with walking into the area as it’s a gravel path leading into the park, but I would like to try it out one day… It would be interesting.

Now that the weather is improving, my strength and stamina are also improving dramatically. I've been walking most days recently, and I'm not one to carry on about how awesome physical exercise is for your physical and mental health, but walking has really helped me in a lot of ways because it gives me a purpose and gives me a target to concentrate on. Even though I've been up and down constantly, and I have been really struggling with my mental health and knowing who I am, I've kept going and pushed through... Even when nothing makes sense and I feel like I’m merely just existing, walking and listening to music really helps me. I'm extremely pleased to say that I am walking further afield now!

I remember when I first started using my walking frame, I was completely knackered just walking around in the communal area outside my flat, which is about 12 meters, maybe slightly more but not much. Looking back on that makes me realise how far I’ve come with regards to walking.

People may not realise how much effort someone with CP has to put into activities, especially walking. I can’t speak for everyone who has CP because everyone is different, but it is said that people with CP use up to five times more energy than able-bodied people. With this in mind, you can imagine how much energy I use controlling my muscles to walk and control my involuntary movements…

I don’t have much control over my upper body, so I hold onto the handlebar and put my feet slightly behind me to stand. I also struggle to keep my upper body upright, so I keep hold of the handlebar with my left hand to keep my torso in line with my feet and try to keep my feet slightly behind me so that the front of my body is against the thoracic ring of my frame… However, I have found a little problem with leaning on the thoracic ring: As I have built up the distance and increased the number of times I walk in a week, I’ve developed a rash caused by friction from the thoracic ring. This ring is soft enough but has a thick layer of hardwearing foam, and it rubs as I’m walking.

I am currently working on building my core strength to walk upright without having to lean… I think it will take some time to get used to because my body needs to learn a new pattern, but I’m hoping that I can train it to do this. Sometimes I can do it in shorter bursts, but it takes more energy. I’m also trying to teach my body to walk with a narrower gait because I tend to run my feet over with the wheels of my frame due to the way my splints hold them. Let’s see…

Come back tomorrow for Part 2!