Living Life In A Wheelchair

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Renewing My Membership Where I Do My Physiotherapy
[ Thursday September 22nd 2016 at 2:35 pm ]

Today my membership to the facility where I do my physiotherapy has been renewed. I am not using a physiotherapy clinic. Instead I use the local YMCA. There are background details specific to my circumstances that led to this decision.

  • The YMCA has a membership assistance program for low income individuals. I quality under this program.
  • Back in 2006 I could not afford frequent physiotherapy clinic appointments. Instead I was given a home exercise program. I did my exercises in the YMCA conditioning center and pool. This allowed me to check in with the physiotherapist once a month. This substantially lowered my physiotherapy cost.
  • More recently I had my right hip joint replaced on February 27th 2015. I was unable to do the typical hip replacement surgery physiotherapy. I had not yet healed from my left hip replacement surgery from May 23rd 2013. Also my knee joints were preventing me from performing the physiotherapy stretches.
  • I approached my family doctor with a request to begin using a swimming pool immediately. Three days after the hip replacement surgery staples were removed from my right thigh I was cleared to do so. When I had my first follow up clinic appointment my surgeon was pleased that I had taken this step in light of not being able to do the typical physiotherapy.
  • Even after all this time I haven't been able to heal. I continue to experience the debilitating effects of chronic pain. The atrophy in my legs is being reversed because of my ongoing use of the YMCA swimming pool. But I am continually plagued with setbacks from my knee joints.