Physical Therapy and Equipment Down the Road

This was Mason’s response when our Physical Therapy appointment was finished today.  He fell asleep just like that, frown and all.  He was adorable!

There has been a bit of progress on the PT front.  His arms are getting stronger, he’s reaching and grabbing more too.  We don’t get to drop any exercises yet.  We do, of course, get to add new ones.  These will be pretty easy, more like playtime than anything.  He’s going to work on those obliques and his back muscles.  We also have to add in a new stretch for his hips because they are tightening up when you try to straighten them completely. 

I also got to talk with the physical therapist about life and equipment down the road a ways.  She anticipates the Myelo clinic will prescribe a stander or a dynamic stander sometime after Mason’s 1st birthday, maybe closer to his second.  These both help support a child’s body in an upright position and keep the legs straight.  The key is that it does it at a height and in a position for bearing weight in the legs.  Weight bearing promotes stronger bones.  Because Mason will never walk or stand on his own this is an important step to strengthen his growing bones.  The dynamic stander also has wheels similar to a wheelchair to offer some mobility.

We also chatted a bit about wheelchairs when I mentioned that Mason’s grandpa and great grandpa are building him a wheelchair using a Bumbo seat.  She was so excited because many insurance companies are refusing to get a child into a wheelchair until they are 3 YEARS old.  Three!  Mobility is so important for development across the board (physical, emotional, social) but insurance companies want to wait so they do not need to provide several sizes of wheelchair as a child grows.  They also insist a chair be ‘sized up’ as large as possible when a child does get one so they will grow into it several years later. 

It’s a sad statement that money drives what equipment a child receives more than a child’s needs do. 

Well, that’s enough of an update for today!  Mason is sleeping and I should be getting some things done while my hands are free.