Cyndi's Therapy

This morning I cleaned house. Later, after lunch I took Cyndi to Independence to her physical therapy.

She does have a serious problem where the dog bit her. The surgeon had initially told her to get up on the foot the next day after her surgery. Not that she would put the heel down but she should have got up on the ball of her foot. Now there has been damage to the nerves. Later he told her to elevate the foot and stay off of it and that was exactly the wrong thing for her to do. She should have been on it as soon as possible.

She will have to have at least 8 to 12 weeks of physical therapy to reteach her nerves (and her brain) that every sensation from her foot is not pain. Right now that is the message her brain is transmitting.

Sensory nerve damage may produce the following symptoms:

* pain
* sensitivity
* numbness
* tingling or prickling
* burning
* problems with positional awareness

Sensory nerves send messages in the other direction—from the muscles back to the spinal cord and the brain. Special sensors in the skin and deep inside the body help people identify if an object is sharp, rough, or smooth; if it's hot or cold; or if it's standing still or in motion. Sensory nerve damage often results in tingling, numbness, pain, and extreme sensitivity to touch.

Cyndi has sensory nerve damage. She will have to train her brain anew that every sensation in her foot is not pain.