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Changing My Perspective on Stretching With Cerebral Palsy
Richard_Scope
Posts: 2,839 Scope community team
I’ve lived with cerebral palsy my entire life, which means I’ve lived with tight leg muscles and a certain degree of spasticity for my entire life.
My favourite metaphors to help describe the sensation of tight muscles to others include imagining being stuck in a pair of skinny jeans or feeling like my leg muscles are twisted up like a pretzel.
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of lying on the floor with my left leg on someone’s shoulder so my tight hamstrings could be stretched out. To be clear: I hated this. By the time I was 5, I had figured out ways I could cheat the system like pushing my hips off the floor or squirming so I wouldn’t have to be held in that position. My attempts didn’t last long, but I usually tried to put up some kind of fight. I’ll be the first to admit I was not the easiest kid to work with, but stretching was rarely ever negotiable.
Read the full article
Have your attitudes towards physiotherapy and exercise changed? What would you tell the younger you?
My favourite metaphors to help describe the sensation of tight muscles to others include imagining being stuck in a pair of skinny jeans or feeling like my leg muscles are twisted up like a pretzel.
Some of my earliest childhood memories are of lying on the floor with my left leg on someone’s shoulder so my tight hamstrings could be stretched out. To be clear: I hated this. By the time I was 5, I had figured out ways I could cheat the system like pushing my hips off the floor or squirming so I wouldn’t have to be held in that position. My attempts didn’t last long, but I usually tried to put up some kind of fight. I’ll be the first to admit I was not the easiest kid to work with, but stretching was rarely ever negotiable.
Read the full article
Have your attitudes towards physiotherapy and exercise changed? What would you tell the younger you?
Scope
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Specialist Information Officer - Cerebral Palsy
Want to tell us about your experience on the community? Talk to our chatbot and let us know.