RIC

Hi,  I had a very promising visit to the Rehab. institute of Chicago on Friday.  It is ranked no. 1 in the nation for rehabilitation services and are very familiar with spinal cord injuries. The physical therapist instantly noted I was not holding my head perfectly straight and after some tests found the muscles on the right side of my neck were very weak from favoring the left side, causing all sorts of other orthopedic and possibly sensation/ circulation problems.  She did some stretches and exercises on me that took away a lot of the pain i have been experiencing in recent weeks. She also had me ride in the car with a rolled towel in my lumbar region which made the long drive to our cabin much more tolerable as it takes pressure off the neck and I arrived feeling much better than other drives.  Nothing earth shattering about my hand.  We may ask to see one of their expert doctors to ask what his experience is with seeing this kind of recovery/ what to expect.  the occupational therapist didn't seem to know more than local ones. I still have some pain and stiffness returning but have exercises to do until my next appt on the 13 the on the way home. I think the unused muscles are now just sore from the new exercises. We were very pleased with the quality of the therapist.  I wish my neck had been addressed months ago...  We will continue going there for a while.  Too bad it is a two hour drive but it is worth it if they can help! Happy 4th of July to you. Emily