4/13
So, I learned two new things this morning. 1. That almost all our muscles besides our hands and face contract during the gait cycle, and 2. That co-contraction of muscles is actually a pretty normal and good thing!
This is really fascinating to me, because of all the reasons that our muscles do this, for instance: Muscles can co-contract for various reasons, including:
1. **Stabilization**: Co-contracting muscles can provide stability and support to joints, especially when there’s a need for increased joint stability or when there’s uncertainty about the direction of force.
2. **Injury Prevention**: In situations where there’s a risk of injury or instability, muscles may co-contract to provide extra support and protect the joints from excessive movement.
3. **Compensation**: Sometimes, when certain muscles are weak or fatigued, other muscles may co-contract to compensate for weakness and maintain movement or stability.
4. **Motor Control Issues**: Co-contraction can occur due to issues with motor control, where the nervous system struggles to coordinate the activation and relaxation of muscles properly.
5. **Task Requirements**: Certain tasks or movements may require simultaneous activation of antagonist muscles to control movement more precisely or to maintain balance and stability.
Overall, co-contraction of muscles is a normal part of movement and can serve various functions depending on the situation and the needs of the body.
This is super fascinating stuff! I’m not sure where or why my brain is always thinking that was a bad thing, about the co-contraction, but it’s honestly pretty refreshing to know that I’m doing okay!
4/14
It shot out of my feller!!!! Holy guacamole, I can’t believe this happened!!! I noticed a wet spot on my boxers, and I pulled the trouser trout out, and he went off and the pee landed onto the floor!! Goodness I wasn’t expecting that this morning! It was very awkward and I wasn’t sure what to make of it all. I’m glad Callie was able to come and give me a hand.
I’m going to have to see what I can do to make up some more ground on this front! Using catheters has got to be the most awful thing to have to do daily…
Shoot. I fell. Welp I just got off the ground in the kitchen. That was fun. My body is really feeling it. It turns out, sometimes when I’m really trying to push my limits, and do more to help my abdominal balance, and strength, I end up doing things a bit outside of my capabilities.
I fell on the ground just grabbing things out of the fridge to make a salad. That was it. I left the one brake off, and I rotated around, and I slipped right down on the ground. It was super anti-climatic. I just plopped down onto the ground, my feet slipped under the chair, and I let out a pretty weak “OH SHOOT” on my way down to signify I needed some help, but it wasn’t helpful, I was down.
I’m glad Callie was right around the corner to help give me a hand to get back into the chair! Times like these really help reiterate to me how important she is!
It’s times like these that help me think about my situation and helps keep things in perspective. I’m doing more and more everyday, but I’m able to relive these experiences and realize that I’ve come a pretty long way, all things considered.
4/15
Tax day. Well good thing that’s over with. Not much to say there except I’m glad it’s done?
Today was really interesting tho! I actually drove myself to therapy for the first time today!!! I had asked Callie if she wouldn’t mind coming with me, because I wasn’t quite ready to try and do this all by myself. Never having to do any of this, let alone by myself, really makes it hard for me to get comfortable trying to do this on my own.
The trip went pretty well! I was able to tear the wheelchair down in 3min 47s!! And then getting out, not including getting into the car, I was able to do it in 2min 30s!!! That felt incredibly liberating to do that on my own!
I really had to take my time, think about what I was doing, and get into the moment. The leans in and out of the car aren’t the easiest things to do, and I’m glad I’m getting to the gym, getting stronger everyday, to make sure that I am able to do these activities for myself! No one told me or showed me how to do this. I’ve kinda had to learn this on my own. I have had practice in therapy breaking the chair down and lugging it over my lap, which was hugely beneficial to help me understand the steps I needed to be able to do this.
I haven’t been able to try to assemble it yet, because I don’t have the “car” to use to hold onto, but I think I will get it!
4/16
I woke up this morning sooooo stiff! I definitely had to do a giant pee, but I mean, I’m tight! It reminds me of how older folks say they wake up in the mornings and are all stiff! I wonder why that is? I wonder if I can start to better incorporate some stretching and stuff in the mornings too, to help offset the morning tightness.
Okay, getting in and out of the car a couple times today is really good stretching for the legs! I wouldn’t have ever imagined that!
Legs!! I can’t hardly believe what happened when I was driving!! My right leg tried to “stomp” the gas pedal!!!! Yeah you could say that it was just a spasm, or we could say that it was my leg trying to hold the brake pedal when I was at the stop light! It was ridiculous and completely wild how my leg will respond in these different situations!
I was at the gym just now, and I really was able to put up more weight than ever before! The feelings in my legs have seriously never been stronger!!
4/18
Okay, so i really need to get focused. I have so many things that i want and need to get doing, but I don’t schedule out time for them! I need to be stretching, and a lot more of it!
My four focus areas need to be endurance, strength, balance, and stretch.
Wow. Just wow. Callie had a pretty amazing thought last night. And that was to get one of the “balance things” that kids use, before they start walking! So we did some research and what do you know, they make a modified 4 wheeled walker with just that! They actually have a little seat, and a waist belt for keeping you secured!
So I bought that! And I got some ankle weights, and also some knee pads as well! I may have gone on a little spending spree, but I think this will all be worth it! I’m really excited to get it all tried out!
I’m just thinking about all of this, and the conversation that I had with Callie this morning, and then with Jake, and how I really do just need to keep up with the consistent effort. It’s slow progress, but one day at a time!
Wow, it’s 1PM and I stimmed my quads for only 10min and I can tell, they are fatigued. I had the stim setting fairly high, but I needed to feel like what this would be like. Now I need to keep track until they get tight again.
4/19
Right now, I’m realizing something as I am waking up. I need to spend a bit more time meditating, and visualizing, and also I realized another thing. If I don’t do a really good stretch before bed, then I’m setting myself up for a long night. I’m laying in bed this morning, and my abs are super tight! Oof. Not super pleasant.
The feelings thru my legs right now are intense. I was thinking about this last night when I was lying awake, and I think a good bout of stretching before bed is in order! By giving my muscles the attention they need, I can really make sure they are progressing the way they need to!
By having the muscles all stretched out,
4/20
So, it’s 8:38pm on a Saturday, and we are prepping a salad, since we didn’t have any dinner yet. It’s been an interesting day. I’m always trying to get more rest, and I wasn’t feeling super well today. It’s sometimes hard. I don’t know what else to say for today.
The Astronaut on Earth 
Leave a comment