Spasticity Alert
To me, spasticity was an unfamiliar and somewhat ugly word that I never thought had anything to do with me until a very close friend told me what spasticity actually meant; a sudden involuntary muscle contraction caused by some unique outside force. When I learned how nurses, therapists, and doctors used the word in reference to its effect on me, I realized I have been living with spasticity all of my life. Since I had my brain injury 15 years ago, I now decided on living my life like nothing ever happened to me. Sure, walking is still very difficult. For some reason, I constantly drag my left foot for every step I take. Now, with a muscle relaxant, I am able to clear my toes on most steps.
However, while growing up, I thought walking was a simple, easy process that everyone performed without having to even been thought about. As I got older, and somewhat wiser, I took walking a step further and competed in various sporting contests like basketball, baseball, and even track. At that time, my favorite sport was basketball. It involved many different aspects of human movement; running, jumping, grabbing, and holding. All of these aspects would be nearly impossible with severe spasticity. As a young man, I was actually pretty good. In my Californian high school, I started on the varsity team as a freshman, but because of my current level, I have not played competitively since. Baseball used to be another of my favorite sports, but because of the affects of spasticity, I would not be able to run the bases after a hit, if I could even grab a bat. Even though I think I would love to run again, running around a track would be impossible for me to perform. Not that I ever won, but as I look back now, just performing out on that running track was like winning a gold medal. Once again, because of the level of spasticity I was drowning in I couldn’t run or even walk to the corner. Only after years of intense therapy, I am able to “walk to the corner,” but I still can’t, and probably never will, be able to run again.
While spasticity seems to be a negative aspect for any physical activity, people affected by it should realize it is only half of a person’s effects on this world. The other half, the “good” half, would be mental. Because I couldn’t perform in any physical activity like I used to, I activate my mind into “knowing more than the average bear.” So, to me, that would result into a positive effect on spasticity, forcing human beings to learn more and become smarter.
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