Tag Archives: physical therapy

#CPChatNow Recap- 05-30-2018

Posted on by

Resembling a box filled with chocolates, the live weekly cerebral palsy Twitter chat #CPChatNow featured quite the variety Wednesday, May 30th, 2018. To keep the analogy going, that makes me, co-host Zachary Fenell, (insert your favorite chocolatier here). So shall we explore the deliciousness embodied by Wednesday’s discussion?

One endearing characteristic our weekly chat possesses involves the welcoming community. Participants can come and go due to life’s hurdles. Once cleared though, you can count on a warm greeting back. Just ask Hannah Pike and Yasmin!

To express her excitement of seeing Hannah back in #CPChatNow, Linds tweeted a fun dancing GIF.Yasmin joins #CPChatNow for the first time in a long while.Fellow regular Linds greeted Hannah using a fun dancing GIF. Meanwhile both my co-host Devin and I expressed our excitement to see Yasmin again. Yasmin’s presence represents a dedication towards our chat considering in her time zone #CPChatNow happens at 1am!

Shortly following the salutations conversation garnered greater substance. Devin’s extend-the-conversation question from the previous recap surfaced as a topic.

The extend-the-conversation question from the May 23rd recap came up during the chat May 30th.Earlier in the day I teased an interesting answer to the extend-the-conversation question Devin posed.The question asked “What did your therapists do to keep you interested in therapy?” Hannah and I each gave our answers.

Zachary shares a picture of him as a child triumphantly holding a trophy given to him by his physical therapist.Hannah and Zachary compare notes about therapists involving music in their PT sessions.I shared my physical therapist awarded me trophies to commemorate achieving long-term goals. Hannah recalled her therapists letting her listen to music. The answer intrigued me because I remember therapists using music to distract me amidst intense stretching.

Later in the evening Devin added to the evening’s assorted dialogue, tweeting a current news story.

Devin shares a current news story about two friends going to prom together.The aforementioned story detailed two friends going to prom together. Nonetheless rather than taking a patronizing or pitiful tone, the item broke the usual prom story mold. View and judge yourself.

Keeping the interesting subject matters flowing, regular participant Seth asked a compelling question.

Seth asked #CPChatNow where they draw the line at children staring at them.He asked, “How old does a child staring at you have to be before it is a problem? Do you react different if it is a three-year old to it is a seven-year old to a 12-year old?”

Giving an ambiguous reply, I responded saying the situation matters more oppose to age. After all, everyone matures differently! Devin said stares become a problem once kids reach their teenage years. What do you think? Answer Seth’s question as the week’s extend-the-conversation question.

Answer for the week's question, "How old does a child staring at you have to be before it is a problem? Do you react different if it is a three-year old to it is a seven-year old to a 12-year old?" “How old does a child staring at you have to be before it is a problem? Do you react different if it is a three-year old to it is a seven-year old to a 12-year old?”

Comment below to reply. Until next time remember, do not blend in. Blend out!

-Zachary

 

Advertisement

#CPChatNow Recap- 5-23-2018

Posted on by

This past week in #CPChatNow was bustling as always.  Members talked about recent hikes, riding bikes, and physical therapy being fun.  This is #CPChatNow co-host, Devin Axtman, taking you along for the ride on this week’s recap.

First, I wanted to highlight a tweet from a member about something that occurred outside of the regular #CPChatNow window of 8-10pm eastern time each Wednesday.  Regular member, Timmy, shared a photo of a weekend hike:

A picture of Timmy standing by the Mount Everett summit sign

Timmy showed that #CPChatNow and people with CP are doing things all of the time!

Riding bikes was a common theme in this week’s chat after Zach shared a story about a man excelling at adaptive cycling.  Zach and Linds chatted about their history of riding bikes:

Zach and Linds talked about bike riding. Zach said he did not have the core strength to get beyond training wheels. Linds tweeted she used to ride and sometimes fell off, but has been unable to due to health reasons and no time to recover

The bike conversation went in another direction as Zach and I talked about how our physical therapists thought of fun ways to get us involved in physical therapy (PT):

Zach and I tweeted about sports being a part of physical therapy. I tweeted sports were a big part of therapy and zach expressed that he wished sports was a bigger part of his therapy

I tweeted a milestone in physical therapy was running around the bases. Zach recalled getting in catcher position to catch bean bags and the challenge of keeping his balance

This brings us to our extend-the-conversation question, “What did your therapists do to keep you interested in therapy?”

A picture of a baseball stadium in the background. Extend-The-Conversation Question in white with the extend-the-conversation question at the top of the picture. The white #CPChatNow logo at the bottom

Please share your answers in the comments and join us each Wednesday at 8pm Eastern on Twitter at #CPChatNow.

#CPChatNow Recap- 5-9-2018

Posted on by

This past week in #CPChatNow was jumping as always.  Members talked about being ambidextrous, learning to fall, and rebelling against CP.  This is #CPChatNow Co-Host, Devin Axtman, taking you along on this week’s recap.

Zach and Grace talked about being ambidextrous and whether that translated to falling to one side or the other:

Zach and Grace talking about whether being ambidextrous translated to falling more on one side. Grace tweeted she is, but tends to fall on her right side

Members then talked about learning to fall.  Stacey expressed surprise that was a thing, but many members such as Zach and Hannah tweeted about learning to fall:

Zach and Stacey tweeted about learning to fall. Stacey said she had never learned to fall, but she falls on her stronger side.

Zach and Hannah tweeted about different techniques regarding learning to fall in PT:

Zach tweets about learning to fall on his dominant side. Hannah tweets she learned ways to catch herself. Zach tweeted he went to private PT

Zach, Hannah, and I tweeted about having private PT and our parents sweating over payment details:

Zach, Hannah, and I tweet about having private PT when younger and not thinking about the payment details

Next, talk turned to an interesting question Zach had.  He asked members about the first time they could remember rebelling against their CP.

Zach asked about the first time members rebelled against their CP. Zach tweets about not leaving classes. Jen tweeted about grabbing things with her claw rather than asking for help

Hannah tweeted about moving to Nashville and Zach tweeted about his parents being unsure about him competing in his first marathon:

Hannah tweets about rebelling by moving to Nashville. Zach tweets about doing the marathon and reassuring his parents

This brings us to our Extend-The-Conversation question.  Zach had all of the good questions this week, so I will ask his question again for those who couldn’t participate on Twitter: “What was the first decision you made to rebel against people’s concerns over your CP?”  Share you answers and the results in the comments

Extend-The-Conversation-Question in black text at top. A grey person standing with hand up to his chin as if thinking with 3 red arrows going right, straight, and left. What was the first decision you made to rebel against people's concerns over your CP?What was the first decision you made to rebel against people's concerns over your CP? What was the first decision you made to rebel against people's concerns over your CP? is below in black text. Multicolor #CPChatNow logo in left hand corner

 

 

#CPChatNow Recap- 04-04-2018

Posted on by

Assorted subjects came and went during the live cerebral palsy Twitter chat #CPChatNow Wednesday, April 4th, 2018. I am co-host Zachary Fenell here to play reporter and give you your weekly recap. A challenge given the various topics discussed!

Early on the chatter contained a downer tone. Participants shared difficult life situations they currently face. Looking to turn the dialogue upbeat, I asked about positive happenings, no matter how small!

Zachary seeks to turn the conversation positive by asking participants to share even the smallest positive happening!Shira expressed feeling happy despite some physical health issues. Meanwhile the Texas Rangers winning the night before gave Jen joy. Sports became a re-occurring topic when I tweeted out a recent news story, “Watonsville Student-Athlete with Cerebral Palsy Hopes to Inspire, Bring Change.”

Devin and Zachary discuss what impresses them about Carlos' story.My co-host Devin also enjoyed the article. He and I noted what resonated with our respective selves. Devin liked how Carlos seemed “like he’s one of the guys.” Personally, the coach working with Carlos’ psychologist and physical therapist impressed me.

Speaking about physical therapists, physical therapy arose as a conversation generator.

Chris finds PT should stand for physical torture!Chat regular Chris made mention her neurologist ordered “physical torture.”  Physical torture meaning physical therapy (PT). I recalled other participants vocalizing similar sentiments towards PT in past chats.

Want to add in your opinion? You can by answering this week’s extend-the-conversation question. “How would you describe physical therapy?” Leave your response in the “Comments” section.

Also worth mentioning from our chat Wednesday, April 4th, we announced the date for our April 2018 Google Hangout.

#CPChatNow will hold their monthly Google Hangout for April 2018 Thursday, April 26th.If you like joining the monthly video chat, mark your calendars for Thursday, April 26th. To maintain a safe environment, we do not send out the Hangout link publicly. To get added to the invite list, contact Devin or myself. Before reaching out though, remember to answer the week’s extend-the-conversation question.

This week's extend-the-conversation questions asks, "How would you describe physical therapy?"“How would you describe physical therapy?”

Respond via commenting below.

Until next time!

-Zachary

#CPChatNow Recap- 5-24-2017

Posted on by

This week’s #CPChatNow Twitter chat was a meandering chat that reflected the busy nature of our member’s lives.  There was even a little bit of Español thrown in!  I am #CPChatNow Interim Co-Host, Devin Axtman, and I will be taking you along on this week’s recap.  All aboard!

This week’s chat took on numerous topics, but a well discussed topic was member’s feelings about the impact of therapy in their life.  Rachel shared a funny antidote that doing dishes was therapy for her after Blemi shared she was exhausted from doing dishes:

Rachel states doing the dishes was occupational therapy for her after Blemi suggests she was exhausted from them

#CPChatNow regular, Jessica, also shared why she felt the common belief that Physical Therapy is simply an extension of personal training is misplaced.  She shared this is more the case for adults, while for kids PT is about re-establishing Nuero pathways.

Also, one of #CPChatNow’s founders, John Quinn, stopped by and shared the latest always interesting developments in his life.  Seriously, check out his book, Someone Like Me, it is an outstanding description of his life with CP.

John Quinn shared a copy of his book Someone Like Me with an Academy Award winning actress

In some happy news, our #CPChatNow Co-Host now known as Jorge Oteiza, is back from Spain and enjoying some family time, overalls, and a new tattoo.

Picture of Jorge Orteiza with his grandma in overalls

Also, Jorge shared some positives and experiences from his trip to Spain:

Jorge's positives from Spain: knowing the metric system, friends, and an intact phone after dropping it in the train tracks. Rachel advised not doing that in Chicago

Next, this brings us to the announcement of our focus chat on aging with CP. Please join us tomorrow, Wednesday, May 31st at 8 EST.

Zach announcing our focus chat on aging

Finally, I would like to go back to the beginning of our chat for Rachel’s discussion about washing dishes being therapy to our Extend-The-Conversation-Question: What non-traditional forms of therapy have you used?

A picture of waves crashing on the shore with white #CPChatNow logo and the extend-the-question conversation: What non-traditional forms of therapy have you used?

Please join us tomorrow at 8 EST for our focus chat on CP and aging.

Tweet you soon!

-Devin

#CPChatNow Recap- 06-08-2016

Posted on by

Excitement remains abuzz the #CPChatNow community. I am co-host Zachary Fenell, back again. Amidst all the exciting prospects I am tasked to focus and recap the June 8th Twitter chat.

In-part the aforementioned excitement extends to announcements made June 8th.

#CPChatNow co-host Zachary Fenell announces Zach Wood will lead a focus chat on breaking down stereotypes Wednesday, June 15th.Co-host Blake Henry announces the date for #CPChatNow's monthly Google Hangouts video chat.Now the focus chat news first broke June 3rd, right here on our website! To ensure you stay updated on everything, subscribe to the website. When using a laptop or desktop, you will find the option located on the left hand side bar. On mobile devices scroll down until you see the “Subscribe” forum.

Subscribers know another reason for the recent #CPChatNow enthusiasm. Yes! I am talking about the #CPChatNow t-shirts and tank tops sale. Long awaited news I first made public here. Learn more about the sale. Then purchase your own #CPChatNow gear to wear.

With that plug complete, let me resume recapping. Early conversation segued to chatter about physical therapy.

Early conversation segued to discussion on physical therapy.#CPChatNow community members share how physical therapists had them deal with pain in physical therapy.The ability to relate to physical therapy matters seems small. However, such ability can prove a difference maker. You can especially gain a greater appreciation when remembering a time before social media. A time frame our participants recalled.

Our community recalls the time before #CPChatNow and social media.More reflection on life before #CPChatNow and social media

Answer "Before #CPChatNow and social media, did you know anyone else with cerebral palsy? If yes, how did you meet?"

Leave your answer in the “Comments” section.

Time for you to share your voice. Regulars know the drill. Go ahead and answer the week’s extend-the-conversation question.

“Before #CPChatNow and social media, did you know anyone else with cerebral palsy? If yes, how did you meet?”

Respond by commenting below. Tweet you shortly during our focus chat on breaking down stereotypes.

-Zachary

 

#CPChatNow Recap- 03-30-2016

Posted on by

Yes, FINALLY a recap for the March 30th live cerebral palsy Twitter chat #CPChatNow! Zachary here to document last week’s exciting chat. Excitement I derailed by waiting a week to recap. Anyhow I’m here now and with me I brought highlights from the past week.

The presence brought by chat newcomers sparked the aforementioned excitement.

CPChatNow co-host Zachary Fenell introduces new participants to the community.Lucinda introduces herself.Ella introduces herself.Amidst welcoming our newcomers by also introducing ourselves another newcomer joined the dialogue!

CPChatNow welcomes those who have a disability different from cerebral palsy.I wish to emphasize, despite our CP distinction we are welcoming to all disabilities. Personally I’m always interested to learn how other disabilities compare with cerebral palsy. So please, join us sometime. Our conversation tends to grow naturally. For example, our introductions smoothly transitioned to another subject.

Introductions soon transitions to conversation about physical therapy.Quickly physical therapy (PT) came to dominant the chat.

CPChatNow discusses attitudes towards physical therapy and frequency in schedule.The physical therapy discussion continues!All the above PT talk eases us into this week’s extend-the-conversation question. “How do/did you feel about your physical therapy?” Leave your answer in the “Comments” section.

Moving on with the recap, I also announced details for April’s CPChatNow Google Hangout.

Co-host Zachary Fenell announces the date for April's Google Hangout.Keep the conversation about physical therapy going!Hangouts offer an opportunity to gather face to face without us all needing to travel to one spot. For safety reasons invites go out privately. Send me a direct message on Twitter for more information.

Hopefully I will talk to you tonight during this week’s live Twitter chat. While you countdown to 8:00pm ET, go ahead and answer last week’s extend-the-conversation question.

“How do/did you feel about your physical therapy?”

Talk soon!

-Zachary