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This website is based on the personal experience of
Michael Losee, a T-12 complete paraplegic. Following
a snowboarding accident in 2002, Michael spent his first
year confined to a wheelchair. Today Michael lives a
full, active and functional life walking 100% of the
time.
It is a fact that many paralyzed people with similar
injuries to Michael can walk again. Its not magic or
mysterious. It's simply the understanding and application
of principles of physiology and physics to teach the
body a new way of walking.
The information contained in this website is best applied
to newly injured people. Not that others can't do it
physically but after a few years, most will accept the
wheelchair and move on with their lives. However if
a person really hates the chair and can't envision a
lifetime of it, then perhaps they will put in the required
effort and "rise to" the challenge.
Most paralyzed
people dream of the day they will walk again. But until
stem cells or some other cure comes along, they should
forget about walking their old way and focus on walking
with the assets they currently have.
When we learned
to walk as a toddler we went through a progression of
learning experiences that taught our bodies to walk.
We went through a series of deliberate motions that
culminated in our walking without thinking about walking.
It's useful
for a paralyzed person to think about learning a new
process for walking. To learn deliberate motions utilizing
a different set of assets that will eventually result
in walking automatically. The assets required for this
new walking process are:
Upper body strength
Hip flexor& extensor muscles
KAFO leg braces
The knowledge that it has been done and can be duplicated
Finally and most important, a “Can Do Attitude”
This is certainly not the comprehensive set of assets
we all started out with as a one year old, but
these minimum assets are sufficient to allow
many paralyzed people to walk again!
With this
asset base, many
now have a choice: Life in a wheelchair or ambulation
by walking.
Program Overview PowerPoint
Presentation showing the physiology of paralyzed walking
Why
I Walk: English Paper
by Michael Losee which sparked the idea for this website,
January 2005
Z-Coil Shoes:
A new discovery that makes all the difference in endurance
walking
Gratitude:
Church
talk given 11-13-05
Weber
State SignPost Article
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Note:
The material presented in this website is based
on the research and personal experience of Michael
Losee. Realizing that each SCI case is unique,
results can and will vary per individual.
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