At piano lesson
Once upon a time, I could dance, play piano with reasonable skill, certainly keep a beat and clap, but then I couldn’t. Had I paid attention to losing my beat, maybe I would have gotten diagnosed sooner. All the issues turned out being Multiple Sclerosis. One lesion in my brain impacted my rhythm.
Early in this journey, I heard that music was a great therapy for MS. My neurologist concurred. He said, “Do it if you can. One of my patients can't play anymore because she lost her finger strength.”
Taking lessons again after forty years, I understand. My finger strength is okay, but spasticity is the problem, throughout my upper body. I never knew! Hands, shoulders, fingers, all are stiff, slow and awkward. I found that repetition and finger drills help. Piano is all about practicing, trying to improve and knowing it’s therapy. is, there is some transfer to walking! My ear for hearing pitch also improved. What happens in the brain is a mystery, and all good.
Walking with Donnie
In an article about music as therapy for MS, I found validation for:
- Improvement in movement and coordination
- Improvement in memory
- Reduction of anxiety
- Reduction of stress
- Improvement of digestion
- Improvement of speech and communication
I am seeing results in all these areas, but I notice tremendous improvement is walking. This year I’ve been focused on my walking stride and gait. After falling several times relatively close together early this year, I became tentative and fell into some bad habits. I consulted with my physical therapist and asked, “What do you think about going back to basics?” He suggested several strategies that began working quickly.
At physical therapy with Thomas
Then, Donnie had an idea while we were walking, (He’s always thinking.)
“What do you think about listening to music while we walk?”
I don’t know. I like the idea, but I don’t know how to get started. Maybe Thomas (physical therapist) has some ideas on this. Maybe he can help me get started.
“Good. Athletes listen to music while exercising and I see gym people with headsets or earbuds. There must be something there.”
Thomas did have thoughts. He thought it was worth trying even though he wasn’t aware of any research based articles on the subject. He suggested earphones that fit on the bones outside the ears. They operate on the principle of vibration
“I like that option! I didn’t know and much of my reluctance to embrace earbud is because they have always given me ear infections.” I’m going to ordered them.
Dancing at nightclub on cruise
I can use my phone where I walk at home. After two weeks, I’m having great results. Everyday, I have fewer missteps even on our long walk. My pace seems to be improving as well. Any upbeat music energizes my step. Even the fourth mile is relatively smooth. The genre of music doesn’t seem to matter. We both like the same music and surprisingly, upbeat classical is one of our favorites.
Why did I wait so long to try music for walking? Small issues got in the way. I’m so glad Thomas helped me get started. I can’t explain why music works for me, but it does. I’m a believer now. The brain is a mystery and it’s all good. Wish I had gotten on board years ago! I see more dancing in my future!
No comments:
Post a Comment