Do you remember what you were doing one year ago? Any given day, I can’t even remember what I ate for breakfast, but I sure recall a major incident I was facing last year. I remember being overly concerned with Logan’s spasticity, especially in his legs. He was stiffer than a board. When I used to pick him up, his legs were like steel beams, straight in front of him. Since I couldn’t carry him on my hip, I’d use his legs to open doors when transferring him from room to room. He used to have these golf ball sized knots in his calves, constantly. I assumed at that time, that some of his crying spells had to do with his tightness and muscle spasms.
I was witnessing his spasticity getting worse day by day, as it typically does worsen over time. The concern turned to distress. It came to the point, where I had driven him two hours away from home for a consultation for PERC lengthening. I was even tossing around the idea of round two of that poisonous Botox (even though it didn’t do much of anything the first time), because I was desperate to find him relief. Also, the thought of trying a new medication, Diazepam, was clouding my brain. I needed and wanted something, anything, to help ease his pain.
At last, I found something that has worked! Logan’s spasticity has subsided and today is nothing what it used to be a year ago. Granted, spasticity never fully goes away, he will always have it in some shape, way, or form for the rest of his life, but we have found a method that truly works at keeping it at bay. It isn’t surgery, Botox, or a drug, it is the Anat Baniel Method (ABM).
Seriously, teaching his muscles new ways to communicate to his brain has reduced his spasticity. To me, that right there is miraculous. Not having spasticity thunking me in the back of the head on a daily basis is a major bonus. Spasticity now takes rank at the bottom of the list for concerns. The way Logan can move his body is remarkable! Some of the major changes are:
-His legs now dangle at his knee when anyone holds him and they are no longer door openers. That’s where little brother comes in handy.
-I am now able to carry him on my hip, when that was never before possible because he had no range between his thighs. I remember wishing I had a crowbar to get his hamstrings apart.
-He no longer has golf ball sized knots in his legs and I can’t remember the last time I had to massage one out. Even his crying spells are less, let me stress the less, frequent.
-When picking up his legs individually, he doesn’t stiffen like a board and his feet have full range of motion. His poor feet never used to dangle when I picked up his leg. Kind of nice to randomly hold a body part and see it flop, opposed to what it used to be.
-He learned to climb (and scare the life out of me) thanks to the release and range of motion he gained.
-He has mastered the ‘W’ sit, which I know isn’t the greatest, but his right leg was never able to go into ‘W’. The muscle was always too tight to go the other way.
Honestly, I could continue this list with at least another half dozen examples of just how much spasticity has fizzled since starting ABM. I’m just thrilled we were able to achieve and maintain these results without any other means of intervention. Finally, spasticity is no longer kicking his butt, Logan is kicking spasticity’s butt!
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