Answer transcribed from the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.brightwayhealth.org/podcast-episodes/12%3A-recreational-therapy-for-physical-symptoms-with-recreation-specialist-holly-auth" target="_blank">Brightway Answers interview with recreation therapist Holly Auth</a>: Before anything else, I just want to say congratulations.&nbsp; Using a wheelchair and then using a walker is a major accomplishment, so congratulations. I think it's awesome that you're trying to start walking unassisted. It sounds like you might need to strengthen your core as well as your back muscles.&nbsp; It's difficult to know exactly where the problem is without being able to see you and how you’re walking.&nbsp; Definitely talk to your physical therapist - they have the knowledge base of exactly what is going on and ways to assist with the problem. As a recreation therapist, I would take the information from your physical therapist and I would use that during my recreation activities. For example, (this is a little bit of a different scenario) but for someone who is working on standing and strengthening their legs and their posture, I would typically set them up somewhere with a counter height table. Maybe it's at the kitchen counter, maybe it's one of those floating desks that can lift up.&nbsp; So while you’re standing, I would set them up with something like a word search, coloring, cards - their preferred activity so they're engaging in something they like to do while they're working on standing and strengthening. People will often stand a lot longer than they realize and break their previous records because their mind is distracted with something they enjoy. So as a recreation therapist I would take into consideration what your physical therapist is saying, and then I would do some fun activities while your physical therapist’s recommended exercises.

CTRS

I'm accustomed to leaning back after being in a wheelchair for 10 years. I've been walking with a walker for 6 years. I'm trying to walk unassisted again, but I can't get the sensation to fall forward. Does anyone have any advice for that?

Falling forward

You may want to look at Brooks Rehabilitation - they have locations in Deltona, Daytona Beach, and others: <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://brooksrehab.org/locations/" target="_blank">https://brooksrehab.org/locations/</a> - and they provide Balance and Vestibular therapy. You may also want to look at <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://orlandoneurotherapy.com/balance-physical-therapy/" target="_blank">https://orlandoneurotherapy.com/balance-physical-therapy/</a> - that's in Orlando, but it may be worth considering tele-health (online) appointments so that you don't need to travel to therapy - it would also expand the number of therapists/doctors you have access to. Most providers offer this now because of the pandemic and it saves the trips to appointments which can be a big help.

We could travel to Daytona, we prefer not to travel all the way to Orlando but we would if that's the only option. His balance gives us the most concern. If there is a neuro physical therapist or vestibular therapist close by that can help him with his balance that would be awesome.

Are there any neuro-physical therapists in or around Deland, Florida?

Larger muscles come back first such as legs smaller muscles come back last such as ur fingers.

Not necessarily! Depends on strengthening the arm or leg, individually! The reason I know that is because my leg came back much quicker than my arm! I’m five years post stroke and I’m just starting to get parts of my arm strong, but, my ankle may take years to rehabilitate.

So my arm continues to improve but my walking and balance seems to be lagging behind and healing much much slower.

If my arm continues to heal does that mean my walking and balance should improve also?

Yes, 10yrs post. Hoping to try Vestibular therapy after Covid. Hang in there, you learn to make sure and touch the shower wall and much more. Here's the kicker&nbsp;The more brain fatigue I have the less balance I have, One of my Doc's said the brain takes away from those pesky little things that it feel aren't all that import, like balance and other executive functions less important. Hang in there and you will make progress, brain progress is so slow... You are not alone!&nbsp;

Yes, I have this and I was diagnosed with vestibular disorder. Your vestibular tube in your brain is responsible for your ability to balance yourself and recognize where you are in space/time. If you have balance issues after a TBI, it’s highly likely that you are experiencing vestibular disorder. This is curable with proper therapy.

So since my TBI I lose my balance if I’m standing or walking in a dark room or drying my hair and the towel blocks my vision or I close my eyes when I’m standing. Is this a common?

Is it common to lose balance while standing or walking in a dark room?

I got a shower mat and stuck it to the shower wall. I lean on it to keep my balance when I’m washing my face

My husband has to be with me because I get so dizzy, and it’s definitely worse when I close my eyes.

I had a new shower built--large with a seat and a grab bar and rough tile on the floor.

When I close my eyes in the shower, I pretty much lose my balance. Anyone else deal with this?

Yes. There was the vestibular therapy which consisted of walking while looking up, down, diagnal and side to side. It helped some but muscle memory takes over eventually and I just walked because I remembered walking. It also helped to walk a road with a white shoulder line. Last year I saw a Nuero opthamologist who specialized in TBI. He used prism glasses to resync my eyes and brain. When the processed stabilized, I got new Rx glasses. Great for driving. Cant walk in them tho. No cure for opscillopsia. (eyes bounce when feet hit the ground.)

I had something like that with my vestibular therapy. She worked on my vision a lot to help me walk again.

Browse Questions

Falling forward

Are there any neuro-physical therapists in or around Deland, Florida?

If my arm continues to heal does that mean my walking and balance should improve also?

Is it common to lose balance while standing or walking in a dark room?

When I close my eyes in the shower, I pretty much lose my balance. Anyone else deal with this?

Has anyone had VISION THERAPY to help BALANCE when walking??

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