My brain sent messages to my left side. “Stop shuffling!” “Pick your foot up!” “Swing your arm”. But Leftie just said, “Yeah, whatevs.” If I was going to find my running feet again, I would need to even up.
While Leftie was putting up a resistance, Rightie was happily doing all the heavy lifting. I was training my body to be be rubbish on the left side and compensate on the right, and my muscle memory told me that was OK. It wasn’t! I was developing an asymmetric and wobbly gait.
That’s where these two beauties came in. I’d used these walking poles 10 years earlier rehabilitating from an ankle injury. They did the trick, but I still had a low regard of them. I thought giving into poles was defeatist. Now I know that adding arms to the equation gives a much better workout.
Meet Debbie
Meet fitness coach Debbie Jackman, a key player in my support team. She wasn’t afraid to tell Leftie to behave. Debbie says:
“When I first saw Ali after her diagnosis she was struggling to get her body to move as she wanted it to. She needed to find techniques that helped the messages get to her weaker side and to build up strength once more. We used the poles to get strength in her arms, extend her stride length and encourage movement on the left. Within weeks her gait had evened up and she even started increasing speed plus power through her arms on sections.”
If your gait is asymmetric and wobbly, here are some tips from Debbie.
- Focus on the weak side and get it to move as you want it to. The strong side is fine, so ignore it.
- Practise co-ordination exercises, for example knee lift with opposite arm lift (standing or sitting), get your body to work as one.
- Stop and reset yourself when required. Don’t keep trying to adjust. Stop, breathe and start again.
Play > Polyushko Polye > Russian Pacific Navy Fleet Choir > Michael Palin
Polyushko Polye (Fields, my fields) is an affectionate Russian earworm I sing to my trusty poles. Not a Spotify track today but this lovely clip of Michael Palin singing with the Russian Pacific Navy Fleet Choir – be sure to stay to the end. I’m a great fan of Michael Palin, both in Python and his travelogues.
6 Comments
Hilary Snell · 17 March 2021 at 8:15 am
Lovin this blog!
Rosie · 17 March 2021 at 8:55 am
Poles, crutches wheelchairs, human support as required are nothing to do with “giving in” and everything to do with adjusting to a new reality (though I felt the same initial resistance). So glad the therapy helps you 😁 and let’s hold out for prescription cannabis.
John Devaney · 17 March 2021 at 8:57 am
I started using walking poles a few years ago. They really do make a difference. I also recommend walking at your own pace; trying to keep up always exacerbates my leftie limp.
Love the blog. Keep it up.
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