Hiya! This was my fifth week at the Frazier Institute in Louisville, Kentucky and I’m absorbing everything like a sponge! This week was especially cool because I got to see the first real leap in progress that I have been able to observe since being here. All of our participants are constantly progressing but there are definitely some milestones that stand out during a participant’s time at Frazier.
My “desk” at work…complete with minimal space, access to the thermostat (that’s right Travis), and a jar of mints that are not mine
One participant we have been working with wasn’t quite at a spot where they would be able to stand up on a standing frame like we have been doing with others at the gym. So, for the past few weeks, we have been using a bodyweight support system (BWS) and harness to help the participant be able to stand up. We have a cable that comes from above which we clip the harness into and they are able to utilize support from the cable to keep them at a percent of weight-bearing where they can have good form. For example, the BWS might be supporting 40% of the participant’s body weight. Their feet are still on the ground and we have trainers on the knees and hips. However, when we bring the BWS down to 20%, this makes the participant’s trunk start to fall forward and makes holding the knees and hips too hard on the trainers. So, we raise it back up to a point where they can stand with good form. These are the kind of factors that we have been considering for the past few weeks that I have been able to be on this session.
View from the gym. Our participants always have something to look at during a session.
With this particular participant, the lead trainers felt like they were at a point where they could be progressed into the standing frame where they would stand without any BWS. This is a big milestone and an exciting transition because it marks the progress that has been made by an intensive intervention. I am so grateful to have been able to help with this participant and I was really excited to see them standing without a harness.
When we first made a transition to the standing frame, we didn’t really know what to expect going in. This is often the case when we are early on in a participant’s time on the frame. This means we have to be ready for anything. The first few sessions have been fairly stressful as we try to figure out the best way to support everything and keep good form. However, everyone is getting better with time and we’ve had moments where we’ve achieved the best form that I’ve seen on this participant the whole time I’ve been here.
Seeing progress is probably the most rewarding part of being at Frazier. Getting to watch growth happen is really incredible and speaks to how important the research that we are doing here is. It’s so special to know that I have been apart of their journey.
Outside of Frazier, I went to a spontaneous concert with my coworker, Elizabeth. We randomly got tickets to a “punk-rock country” band. We had amazing falafel (in you’re in KY you have to hit up The Falafel House on Bardstown Rd.) and decided that punk-rock country is the only way to describe the music that we witnessed.
Lucero in concert playing a song about Texas and Tennessee
I also got some time with extended family for my aunt’s birthday. It was a weekend of many birthdays and I’m on the way to meet my brand-new cousin whose birth was yesterday afternoon. We swam, ate delicious burgers, and my stomach hurts from one-too-many belly flops.
The whole family at the pool!
All in all, week five was special and I can’t believe I have to leave this place in just two short weeks. I excited to see what this next week brings.
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