Obnoxious Reaction to New Bionic Hand

A company called BeBiotics just announced a new model prosthetic hand that will be available next month. It features a rotational wrist and wireless communications.

The obnoxious part comes in the form of the media portrayal and public comments regarding this important advance for those missing a limb.

Must we equate everything to Star Wars? A commenter quips that he should cut off a hand to get one of these. I understand joking and geek humor, but I'd also urge the nerds to try living without the use of a limb for a day or two and see how funny it really is.

I imagine in a few years perhaps every reference to wheelchairs will be in light of the movie Avatar..

Let's put our creativity and energy toward progress for enabling people with these disabilities to do more rather than finding the best way to kid about these serious issues, shall we?

Link: http://www.dailytech.com/BeBionic+Unveils+Bionic+Hand+That+Would+Make+Even+Luke+Proud/article18485.htm

Blogo Test

Blogo is on sale today. I'm trying out the latest version. I liked it before, but there were some features missing that I would have liked. Unfortunately, it's been long enough that I don't remember what they were!

This is a fun site called Apture.

That was a link. Here is an embed:

Amazing Martial Therapy Results

A young man born with cerebral palsy has made great progress studying Isshinryu Karate. At the age of 11, Srimanth Bal of western India, was confined to a wheelchair and could barely stand. Nonetheless, he was accepted as a student of karate-therapy. Now, 5 years later, he has completed a 15 mile non-stop run and other stringent requirements for his black belt. In June he will compete with his country's contingent in the world championships in Pittsburgh. Read more of his amazing story in the full article.

My First Lesson

Michael Coleman, sensei of the Futen Dojo, told this brief story. Apparently he had been talking with one of his ninpo students and mentioned that I would be studying the Chinese martial arts. The response was, "Really? That stuff is even too hard for me!" So with our sights set high, we began our newest foray into recovery as yesterday morning Coleman Sensei gave me my first qigong and baguazhang lesson at the dojo.

The qigong movements were very familiar from my prior experience in taiji classes. I have always had trouble relaxing my shoulders and keeping my head upright, and it is no surprise that these problems persisted. The other biggest issues I faced were opening my right hand and holding postures with bent legs. Sensei helped pry my hand open from time to time, but for the most part, the fingers returned to their closed position. This is one area where I hope to see improvement.

On that front, my friend and fellow student, Joe, talked about building a poor-man's version of the hand brace reputed to dramatically improve just such a condition as mine. I am also going to meet with a dojo student named Heather next week. She is a licensed massage therapist also trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine. From our conversation earlier this week, it sounds like we will start with massage and stretching.

The second difficulty, my lack of leg strength, will just take time to improve. I haven't used my legs much in the last 3 years. It's no wonder they are weak, aside from the atrophy of the muscles that are no longer innervated. Nonetheless, it was a great feeling to be exercising again, and I almost immediately felt the relaxation response kick in as we started the postures and deep breathing.

For bagua, we tested basic circle walking with me using a forearm crutch. We walked in one direction, then turned knock-kneed to turn back. This was possible for me, though the stiffness of my right leg and drop of my right foot were problematic, and my gate is slow. I'm confident this too will improve with time and practice.

Today, I repeated the exercises as best as I remember them. My legs are tired and my left shoulder aches, but I am more optimistic than at any other time in recent memory. Sensei said he was pleasantly surprised with my ability so far. I feel that the lesson was very successful and am really looking forward to next week. I am so thankful to everyone involved for this opportunity.

Resistance is Usual

Does the concept of learned helplessness apply in humans? The famous experiments illustrating the concept put an animal in a box they would normally be able to escape from. If they make the attempt, however, they are electrically shocked immobile. After a few attempts, the animal gives up, and never again tries to leave even when the electricity is turned off.

Have I similarly grown accustomed to using a wheelchair to travel medium distances regardless of my capability to walk? Do I resist physical training because of the fear of the pain---both the physical discomfort involved and the potential psychological pain of failing to progress?

I stand on the verge of a great opportunity; one I am extremely fortunate to be offered. In return, I have found mental resistance and possibly passive aggressive redirection building as the project grows closer.

By way of background, my good friend, Joe, has been attending a ninpo/jujitsu dojo for many years. His sensei, Michael Coleman, very generously trained me in his sword class for about six months about two years ago. The experience became part of a documentary about the school and Coleman Sensei's service.

Recently, Sensei has begun assembling a team of healers and trainers to work with me more extensively. As I don't have insurance and currently live on a limited income, the services are being offered pro-bono. In addition, Sensei himself will be working with me on physical training and perhaps nutrition. We are scheduled to begin working this week.

Suddenly, for the last few days I have begun considering acquiring full time employment. The immediate, nominal reason is to make paying my bills easier. Things are indeed tight financially, but this has been the case for months. I can't help but wonder if my sudden desire to work a standard shift is related to the upcoming training. As it is, I can easily schedule training sessions, appointments, or therapy at pretty much any time during the week. Being busy with full time work would certainly hinder my recuperation attempts and give me ample excuses if it does not work out.

To be honest, striding toward healthiness and happiness is frightening. I do long to regain my former physical state. I wish there were a cure for spinal cord damage. Even lacking that, I know my condition could be better. I am far more thin and weak than I could be. My balance, confidence, and conditioning for walking could be improved. In addition, my mood, level of motivation, and feelings of anger, self-hatred, and negativity could definitely be improved. It's the movement out of my comfort zone that scares me.

The advantage I have over animals in psych experiments is that my self-aware, analytical mind can look at my actions and their motivations. Perhaps much of my self-defeating behavior is due to acclimation or learned helplessness, but the beauty of human rationality is the ability to overcome these circumstances.

As the famous quotation goes, bravery is not a lack of fear, it's feeling fear and doing what is necessary despite it. I expect maintaining my courage will be a constant battle. I believe I have friends and family in supportive positions to help me fight the good fight, and no matter the ultimate outcome I will be a better person for having tried. Now I just have to keep telling myself that.

My Right Hand

The default position of my right hand is a loosely closed fist with the thumb slightly tucked in. My wrist is a bit cocked back. Why is it so? Apparently there are some tiny muscles in the forearm that control the fingers. Mine are perpetually stimulated due to some bad wiring in the connection between hand and brain. This causes the fingers to be pulled in to the palm.

The tightness is progressively worse from thumb and forefinger to pinky. With a little time and effort I can extend my forefinger most of the way or give a half-cocked thumbs-up.

The last three fingers defy control almost entirely.

If I pry my fingers open using the other hand, they will remain mostly extended for a few minutes. It helps to have my wrist bent downward.

Inevitably, though, the force of the overactive muscles overcomes the fingers, and they return to the clenched position.

As you can imagine typing is rather problematic. I used to touch type around 60 words per minute. I still touch type with my left hand, but I hunt and peck with the forefinger of my right hand. On bad days when my muscles are especially tight or the pain is bad I hold a pencil in my right hand instead.

You might be able to see a callus near the nail of my ring finger. This has formed from pushing my wheelchair using the closed fist. It can be rather difficult getting momentum without being able to grab hold of the push rims. Stopping or slowing down on hills can also be problematic.

There is another callus on the side of my index finger where my thumbnail continually presses into it. My thumb used to always tuck into the closed fist, but the nail was getting discolored and slightly deformed so I have made an effort to keep it out as much as possible.

It's easy to make fun of people who don't have control of their bodies. Heaven knows I did it enough myself. What I have learned, however, is just how frustrating it can be for simple tasks- grabbing a glass or buttoning a sleeve- to be difficult or impossible because of the non-responsiveness of the body. I realize that I look funny at times and don't blame people if they find it humorous, but try to remember that living with such a situation really is not fun, and forgive me if I don't shake your hand.