Commentary by a toe doctor
YOSHIRO YUASA
Keiro Yuasa
Physical Therapist, Doctor of Toes, Director of Toe Research Institute, President of the Japanese Society of Functional Foot and Toe Therapy, and developer of Halmek shoes. Former director, vice president, and medical director of General Hospital. His specialties are exercise physiology and anatomy. He is also a foot and shoe specialist and a leading expert in postural occlusion therapy. He has cured various orthopedic diseases (over 70,000 people) with toe therapy alone.
NEVER GIVE UP
There is currently no way to heal nerves damaged by spinal cord injury. However, there is no need to give up. People have the ability to recover from any condition. It is we ourselves who set the limits. The stronger your desire to walk on your own feet again, the faster you will recover.YOSHIRO SOCKSWearing thegymnastics (esp. at Hironoba Gymnastics)Try repeating the process. Gradually you will regain the lost sensation in your feet, your stuck feet will move, and you may even be able to stand on your own feet.
Examples of Recovery from Spinal Cord Injury
World's first! Breakthrough in Toe Therapy Reverses Common Sense and Re-Gains Gait from Bedridden Complete Paralysis
My life changed forever after I began rehabilitation with Dr. Yuasa. I was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury (complete paralysis) and was told at the hospital that I would have to live in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, but Dr. Yuasa helped me make a miraculous recovery. After undergoing rehabilitation by Dr. Yuasa, my life began to shine.
I spent most of the day in bed. Due to complete paralysis and a thoracic spinal cord injury (T5), I had lost all sensation from the rib cage down, had difficulty holding my trunk, and was in need of care 4. I could not move at all due to paralysis of my lower limbs and lower trunk, and all I could do was sleep.
However, Dr. Yuasa never gave up on me; he gave me hope, encouraged and supported me every day. Then one day, a remarkable change came. The paralyzed sensation returned and I was able to move my lower body of my own will. When I was able to turn over, get up, sit, stand, and walk, I shed tears. It was the moment I realized that the suffering and setbacks I had endured up to that point had been overcome together with Dr. Yuasa. The doctors and nurses around me were amazed and impressed by the speed of my recovery.
Despite my advanced age of 74, I gradually recovered from the state of needing nursing care 4, and Dr. Yuasa guided me to be able to perform daily activities such as sitting, standing, and walking again at my own will, without feeling any limitations. I never thought I would be so happy to be able to walk without the use of orthotics, feeling the ground with the soles of my feet.
Thanks to Dr. Yuasa I am able to enjoy life again. I am filled with gratitude for his warm support and dedication. Dr. Yuasa has dramatically changed my life, and my gratitude to him will never disappear. Meeting Dr. Yuasa was like a miracle that brought light into my life.
Able to walk without support! Thoracic spinal cord injury (incomplete injury), male in his 70s
I had numbness in both upper limbs and paralysis from the chest down due to a thoracic cord injury. I used a walker to get around with assistance, but I had a lot of wobble when walking and spent most of the day in bed.
Doctors diagnosed me as having no hope of recovery, and I was in a situation where it was difficult to have any hope for the future. However, through a referral from my care manager, I met Dr. Yuasa, who changed my life forever.
Dr. Yuasa suggested that I undergo rehabilitation twice a week, and the treatment had a dramatic effect. Gradually, my wobbliness became less and less, and after about a month, my sensory impairment recovered, and I was able to walk outdoors by myself for about 30 minutes without the use of a walker.
After three months, he was able to walk at home without the use of a cane, and on his days off, he even went out to his yard to practice walking and climbing stairs. And by the fifth month, he was able to go down the 100 steps from his home to the street and no longer experienced pain or numbness.
Amazingly, by the seventh month, I was certified as independent (not applicable), even though I was a 3 in terms of the nursing care I needed, and I was able to lead an independent life. I overcame many difficulties and started a new life with my own will and the support of Dr. Yuasa.
My life has grown and recovered in such a miraculous way that it has overturned the doctor's diagnosis. Dr. Yuasa's faith and strength of will must have been a great inspiration not only to myself but also to those around me, and lit a new light in people's hearts.
He was told that he would never be able to walk again. Bedridden for the rest of his life, he recovered to the point where he could walk with a walker.
I am over 90 years old and have become bedridden due to a cervical spine injury caused by a cervical vertebra compression fracture. I was certified as requiring a level of care of 4. The doctor declared that there was no hope for my recovery, and I was spending every day in bed. However, one day, a wonderful physical therapist named Dr. Yuasa came to see me through the introduction of my care manager.
Dr. Yuasa began weekly rehabilitation with a smile and talking to me. At first I was anxious because of my cervical spine injury, but I gradually opened up to Dr. Yuasa's gentle voice and warm hands.
To my surprise, my body gradually began to move. At first I was able to turn over by myself, and after a month I was able to get up and transfer to a wheelchair by myself, and I was able to eat my meals sitting in a chair.
After two months, he was able to use a wheelchair to go to the bathroom and began training to walk with parallel bars. 4 months later, he was able to walk with a walker and was able to use the bathroom independently at home.
Then, in the sixth month, something amazing happened. I was able to live on the floor and enjoy walking outdoors with a walker. It was like a miracle.
As I expressed my gratitude to Dr. Yuasa, I was able to find a brighter future, different from my previous painful days. And with Dr. Yuasa's help and support, I was able to take a new step forward in my life.
Difference between general rehabilitation and Keiro Yuasa's Recovery
Spinal cord injury rehabilitation in general hospitals in Japan today does not aim to restore lost functions. According to conventional thinking, "once the spinal cord is injured, it is difficult to regain function," and rehabilitation aimed at walking is seldom performed. Rather, hospital rehabilitation is approached from the perspective of "maximizing the use of remaining functions and assisting patients to lead their daily lives. Patients are trained to utilize their remaining functions, strengthen their muscles, become accustomed to operating a wheelchair, and adapt to new situations.
In contrast, Keiro Yuasa's rehabilitation differs from conventional rehabilitation in that it aims to restore function to "immobile areas. In recent years, it has been suggested that central nervous tissue is reversible and may be capable of repair and regeneration. It is now possible to expect functional recovery of nerve tissue through continuous nerve exercise at appropriate levels. However, long-term and persistent practice of rehabilitation is necessary, and there is a lack of such facilities in Japan.
Keiro Yuasa's Recovery Facility is the only facility that offers long-term training for people with chronic spinal cord injuries. Yuasa's unique methods are used to reorganize nerve tissue and re-educate spinal nerves in order to restore walking function. Although it is considered effective to begin training at an early stage, it is believed that one should not give up even if a long period of time has elapsed since the injury. In fact, patients undergoing rehabilitation at Keiro Yuasa are those who have transitioned from the acute phase to the chronic phase, and the effectiveness of his rehabilitation has been scientifically proven, bringing functional recovery to people with a variety of injury durations.
