I write with my right, except when I have to use my left

My abnormal gait is now normal. Hey, who knew, exercise works! So that's the good news.

Weird tendonitis (or tendinitis, depending where you're from) in my right arm is less desirable.  It's not the end of the world, but imagine a bad headache in your arm. A bad headache that gets worse at night. All night. Every night.

Also, I'm right handed and I could barely use my right hand this past week. Its mending nicely now.

So I've been teaching myself to write left-handed. It's going well. I first learned to do a leftie scrawl* a few years ago after a horse-riding accident†. After six months of effort I wrote like a six year old. This time around I decided to get serious and practice writing the way children do at school, using worksheets.

And guess what: it works. Tracing the letters really does show your hand what to do! One of the hardest things turned out to be making sure your round letters are round. My writing reminded me of the local graffiti: when our local "yoof" paint a tag, the letters are very spiky. I now wonder if they're using their non-dominant hand to disguise their handwriting? Or do they just think (mistakenly) that it looks cool‡? 

I haven't lost the use of my dominant arm for good, but this is the third time its been (temporarily) out of action, so it seems like a good idea to share the load.  At worst I've given my brain a much-needed workout. And gained a new appreciation for the persistence and determination of children aged 6-10.

Next I'm going to teach myself one-handed knitting. Yes, I am serious - ask Dr Google if you don't believe me.

*dignifying what I produced by calling it writing is a stretch.
† my sore arm may be lingering after-effects of this mishap.
‡ my archaic use of the term 'cool' and my lack of appreciation of tagging I have revealed how hopelessly middle-aged I am. But I'm pretty sure you guessed that anyway.

Proprioception and gait abnormality

This year my physical stamina took a hit. A succession of minor injuries meant I couldn't exercise until I healed. Healing was taking forever, with one damn thing after another. My physio finally pointed out that "only some of the problem seems to be bio-mechanical... the rest seems to be...the other thing...".  The other thing being possible/probably MS.  (Unless that was code for conversion disorder?)

The physio is charming, caring and kindly, but I gained the distinct impression that treating someone who can't be completely cured is a bit of a 'downer'. Suspecting that was the physio's attitude was a bit of a downer for me, too.

So I researched neurological physiotherapy. For a physio who routinely treats those with moderate to advanced MS, Parkinson's and Aquired Brain Injury, I'm a good news story. It's also reassuring to be treated by someone who believes they can help.

My proprioception isn't what it could be, and my gait is abnormal. A quick google suggests that CNS lesions and Parkinsons are the front-runners if it's not a mechanical issue (hip, knee or ankle damage) or a genetic disorder. Well, duh. There is an element of mechanical issue, the 'usual' joint deterioration of a middle-aged person, and some learned 'guarding'.

If you watch me walk, you probably won't see a problem, but my neurophysio can see it.

Gait and balance impairment in early multiple sclerosis in the absence of clinical disability.  (abstract)

Proprioception and locomotor disorders (google docs version)

Gait abnormalities in minimally impaired multiple sclerosis patients (abstract)

In plain English, brain lesions interfere with the pathways that determine some of the ways muscles work. Part of this can be caused by compensation strategies - your muscles stiffen up to literally keep you upright - which interfere with the normal proprioception.

The good news is that brain plasticity means we have the potential to be retrained in more beneficial ways. As long as we act early enough.

My exercises seem incredibly simple and 'easy'. Because they are working very specific muscles, and my brain, they are quite tiring - even the neurophysio finds them tiring - but if they increase my body awareness (proprioception) and the muscle strength of the weakened muscles, they will be well worth doing.