Even before we got there, we had come to know about the rigorous schedule in RI. The center is in high demand always. Due to a lack of quality rehabilitation centres in most places, people all over India travel to Vellore for therapy. But the centre can accommodate only 80 people at a time ( when I was there, there were plans of expansion, but I'm not sure if it has materialised.. ). So the doctors and therapists stress on delivering a concentrated program that will benefit the individual and also make sure that they can serve as many people as possible.
After the initial assessment of my conditions were done, my therapist set a goal for me. For my level of injury, I could be trained to 'walk' with the help of full-length callipers/leg braces ( KAFO ) and elbow crutches. While I was in CMCH ( Hospital and RI are a short distance apart.. ), I had been on a 'Tilt Table' to help me get used to the sensation of standing. It took my body about a couple of weeks to endure ( not pass out ) an hour of staying in a vertical position. I also received some therapy that made my upper body stronger than what it was. But still, in order to be able to 'walk' with the callipers and crutches I needed much more strength. So, as plan for formulated to suit my personal needs. All I needed to worry about were my daily activities. Everyday, the therapist would tell me what I needed to do and all I had to do was follow the instructions. Simple.
Progress was quite speedy once we were in RI. Initially, I was fitted with callipers and made to walk holding parallel bars for support. ( Whenever I say walk in this article related to my time in RI, I'm talking about the pattern of walking that people use while they're fitted with full leg braces, i.e. walking with all the joints of the leg fixed. Since there is no movement of the joints of the leg, all the work is done at the hip joint. While one leg is firm on the ground and two hands are holding a support (bars/walker/crutches), the other leg is raised using the hip and placed forward. Then one hand moves forward while two legs and the other hand are fixed. Then, the next leg is raised and moves forward. This is the pattern of walking I'm talking of here.. )
Once I was comfortable doing this on the bars, I was made to walk with a walker which was a lot less stable than parallel bars. In a few weeks I was walking easily with a walker support. Then I returned to the parallel bars. But this time I held on to the bar with one hand while the other hand was given an elbow crutch. As always, it was difficult at the beginning, but then became much much easier. Finally, I let go of the bars and started walking with only the elbow crutches for support..
Each progressive stage was physically more taxing than the previous. Hence, while I was practicing walking during one session in a day, there was another session where I was working on my upper body strength. All these sessions came under the watch of the physiotherapy (PT) team. Side by side, I was also receiving occupational therapy (OT). When you hear the word 'occupation' therapy the immediate idea is about rehabilitation related to your profession, but this therapy isn't just about preparing you to face challenges at work. Along with such training OT also involves training you to face all daily activities, and enabling you to became as independent as you can inspite of the disability.
So while PT was helping me walk around, OT helped me to stand up and sit. It helped me develop enough balance to reach out and do something. How to move from a bed to a wheelchair, how to transfer in and out of a car while wearing leg braces, these are a few of the things that OT works on. As I had my bedsore however, I was not allowed to sit, and hence most of the things related to a wheelchair couldn't be taught. Yet, I did learn a lot of skills that has helped me so far in my day to day life..
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