Run 4 Roll 2 Walk Information

At Roll2Walk we have compiled a list of the most common questions about Spinal Cord Injury and our recovery program, and we present them here to help you find solutions for the obstacles faced by you, your loved ones, or anyone facing SCI.

Is recovery guaranteed?

At Roll 2 Walk®, we don’t - and can’t - promise that you will walk. We do promise a positive environment for healing, with a highly trained staff and a long-term and realistic plan that fits your needs as an individual. There is no timeline for regaining the ability to walk. Immediately after starting though you will be improving physically and mentally, increasing your quality of life.

How long should I wait before I start my recovery?

With this injury, your body is like newly poured concrete - in the beginning you can mold it, but once it sets, it is extremely difficult to work with. Do not wait. As soon as you leave the hospital and are healthy, start your recovery.

How long will it take to regain function?

Each person is different and each injury is different. What takes one person six months may take another six years. There are five recovery phases  that people go through. Each has different milestones to help you and your spinal cord injury specialist determine where you are in the recovery process. Think of recovery as a lifetime process; it only stops when you stop trying.

Can Roll 2 Walk help me even if my injury was over 2 years ago?

Over the last 50 years, most people have not improved after the two year mark, because traditional occupational therapy doesn’t work the paralyzed body. By doing nothing, the body will begin to deteriorate. Muscle mass, bone density and central nervous system activity are lost unless there is proper stimulus. You can still recover function well past the two-year mark, but the longer one waits to try to recover, the harder it becomes. We have worked with people five or more years post-injury who are still regaining function. Our message to you is: don’t wait. Take advantage of your body’s desire to heal before it is too late.

How long is the Roll 2 Walk recovery program?

No matter what level your injury is or where you are post-injury, there is no set standard on how long it will take to regain function. Each individual has their own goals and desired outcomes, and he or she works towards those needs. Everyone is different and each person regains function differently.

How will stimulating your lower body help to regain function or use of it?

Too often, when people with spinal cord injuries are able to wiggle their toes, feel the return of sensation down their bodies, and even start moving different parts, they are told these movements are common and not to be excited because they don’t mean anything. More often than not, medication is given to eliminate movement and sensation. The body, at this point, stops healing and adapts to its new environment.

Toes, however, are the farthest point from the site of the injury. If you can move a toe, why can’t you teach everything in between? Humans don’t work as individual parts; the body is one unit.

• Our nervous system has a simple job; it deals with gravity while creating a stable, upright posture. Without gravity, the nervous system isn’t stimulated to recover. When you introduce gravity to the postural skeletal muscles, you stimulate the nervous system, thus creating a demand for recovery. 
• Because the long muscles of the legs have the greatest levers, they are the easiest to stimulate. As the muscles of the legs regain strength, they create a demand on the muscles above and below the pelvis, stimulating the hip muscles. 
• The healing continues up into the muscles of the low back and abdominal, creating strength and movement. Soon, the scapula - the foundation of the arm - is being stabilized. For the first time since the injury, the arms now have a foundation, an anchor, from which to move. Triceps, deltoids, pectoral major and minor are initiated, and slowly the upper body begins to regain function.

Without treating the body with load-bearing and closed-chain exercises using developmental movement patterns, you will achieve very little improvement.

Who are your most successful clients?

Recovery is a lifetime program and includes all aspects of your life. What you do outside of Roll 2 Walk is equally as important as what you do inside. Successful clients who are regaining function become independent, go back to school or work, and are surrounded by supportive family and friends. Because there is no timeline for recovery, you must develop and implement a life plan. Plus Hope. Everyone needs hope. Without hope you can’t recover.

What do I have to give up to recover?

Clients that give up everything (family, friends, jobs, school, etc.) and move across the country with the determination and mindset that they are going to get better and return home walking, end up failing. Add in undue stress and unattainable recovery timelines and you have an unhappy ending for everyone involved. Clients that keep their support network and continue on with life are recovering. Recovery isn’t all about walking. It’s about your life and how you live it. Outside of training, be active, play sports, go skiing and horseback riding, go back to school or work. In life, the most successful, happy people are well-rounded.

What are my options if I can’t stay in Austin for in-house training?

We have created the Home-Based and Train Your Trainer and Therapist programs to allow you to take what you have learned at Roll 2 Walk and continue it at home. The recovery process may be slower, but the rewards are there. If you want a Home-Based program, let us know before you begin either the Trial Week or the in-house Training. We can prepare from day one for the tools you will need when you return home.

What is needed to be successful?

Assistance-- An important facet of the program is having someone to help you with the workout itself and transfers on and off the equipment. Some of the higher C injuries will need two people to help with the workout. The Dardzinski Method™ is very labor intensive. Most people who give up do so because of the lack of help, not the lack of desire.

Equipment-- Each client’s needs are different based on the injury level and level of function. During your initial sessions with us, we will show you the equipment we use, then design your workout around the equipment that you have or can get. We always design the home programs around each individual’s ability and the equipment they have available.

Recovery Plan-- Our most successful clients don’t put a time limit or a deadline on recovery - they figure out what works for them. What works for most, is combining a home workout with consistent follow-up visits to Roll 2 Walk for updates and motivation. With the Home-Based Program, some clients come to the center every few months and stay for a week up to a few months. The key is to be consistent, but the frequency and duration of your return visits is up to you.