I had a treadmill on my Christmas wish list so I could try to get some kind of
exercise -- walking seems to be best, but I don't like to go alone for various
reasons. It is dark now by the time my husband gets home, and I do walk
sometimes with my kids, but since I can't always trust how much strength I'll
have, I don't always feel comfortable walking alone with them.
Anyway, my dear husband got me a treadmill for Christmas. When I was trying it
out, I was amazed to discover that my feet hit the treadmill differently --
sometimes on the heel, sometimes flat, sometimes on the side, etc. I never
realized that before. I knew I was kind of stumbly and bumbly sometimes (to
recap my walking situation, after TM onset over 3 years ago, I was unable to
walk on my own for a few months, graduating from walker to cane to walking
awkwardly on my own. Now I think I walk more or less normally but still
stumble occasionally, especially on slopes or uneven ground, and occasionally
lose my balance and 'tilt' over or have one knee or the other go out) and I
knew the problem, because of TM, had to do with the messages getting from the
brain to the legs and feet. Guess I didn't realize part of the lack of nerve
messages were making my feet floppy. I also realized how much I slide my feet
(makes a most annoying sound on the treadmill) rather than lifting them. I
found if I tilted the incline of the treadmill just slightly, it helped a lot
and I was steadier. My feet tend to hit flat when I do that, though, and I got
to wondering -- are they supposed to do that or are you supposed to hit heel
first? In one sense I guess it doesn't matter, as long as I can get around,
but in another sense, it might improve balance and decrease fatigue if I do it
"right". I'm finding it amazing that I have to stop and think about how to
place my feet when walking when I haven't done that since the age of about 1
-- if I thought about it then. I'm excited that the treadmill will help not
only to get exercise but will have therapeutic benfits as well.
Barbara H.