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INTEGRATIVE MANUAL THERAPY |
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C6 Complete- 3 years at FIRST STEP |
- What is First Step™?
- Entry Requirements
- Mission Statement / Philosophy
- Developers
- Staff
- Program Specifics
- Equipment
- Integrative Diagnostics / The Integrated Systems Approach
- Quadrennial Planning
- Biophysiography and Functional Nutrition (Nutritional Support and Dietary Intervention)
- Homework Helpers
- Neurofascial Process
- Taping, Bracing, Splinting, and Orthotic Management
- Electrical Stimulus
- Structural Integrative Manual Therapy
- Functional Integrative Manual Therapy
- Client Corner
- In the News
- Testimonials
- Contact us
For further inquiry contact the
Integrative Manual Therapy Association for
Spinal Cord Injury at
IMTA4SCI@aol.com.
What is First Step™?
First Step™ Is An Advanced Outpatient Hands-on Approach To Altering The Damaged Areas And Moving You Through 4 Phases Towards Independence.
Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) is a non-invasive drug-free healing modality that is based on clinical and scientific reaserch. It is implemented gently with human hands and has yielded dramatic results for people with spinal cord injury. IMT is based on total body diagnostic and treatment approach.
"FIRST STEP™ is a dynamic aggressive, and very unique program focusing on optimal recovery from any and all spinal cord injuries"
Entry Requirements
Any and all SCI's, regardless of medical stability or duration/severity of injury are welcome to become clients at FIRST STEP.
Entry Requirements ????
NONEWe want to help each and every one of you!
"I Now Go Beyond Other Peoples Fears & Limitations"
Phases
Phase One – Recovery Begins - Full Structural IMT.
The Structural component of IMT works to repair your injury and improve your health. All FIRST STEP™ clients are evaluated by a Certified IMT Therapist and begin an individualized Structural IMT Phase One treatment protocol. Structural IMT focuses on regaining potential for regeneration, improved function and ultimate recovery. Phase One includes your home intervention family/caretaker training and your nutritional recommendations. Your home-based portion starts with Neurofascial Processing, Synchronizers, and Biophysiography. If you have a thoracic level lesion, beginning return, and are without added medical concerns, this phase may require a minimum of 21 IMT hours. If you have a higher level lesion, or are without initial return, and/or with added medical concerns, all phases will require more IMT hours. Once your spinal shock is reduced, your spinal cord and muscle motility has begun, and added medical concerns are reduced, you will progress into Phase Two!Phase Two – Recovery Accelerates - Structural IMT to IMT In Motion™
Establishing your structural integrity with IMT is pivotal at FIRST STEP™. Once your medical concerns are reduced in Phase One, Phase Two focuses on what is stopping you from moving. IMT In Motion™ is now added to your progressing Phase Two Structural IMT treatment program. IMT In Motion™ is hands-on diagnostics as you move to investigate all movement barriers. Your home-based portion expands with the addition of Threshold Electrical Stimulation and Strain Counterstrain. This phase may require between 21 to 84 IMT hours if you have a thoracic level lesion, and averages 105 to 147 hours for C6 level lesions. Once your spinal cord integrity improves showing muscle motility, and your hard and soft frame biomechanics are established, you move into Phase Three. The stepping begins!Phase Three – Stepping Begins – IMT with personal training exercise
You start a Phase Three IMT treatment plan progressing the repair and regeneration of your injury. You are now ready to begin a novel exercise program. Exercise Specialists are added to your team providing you individualized progressive personal training. Minimal bracing, with the addition of Z-Coil shoes, facilitates your stepping process. Elite equipment (Cross-Crawl, Power Plate, StimMaster Galaxy, Woodway Treadmill) with full suspension capability will be part of your personal training exercise regime. IMT combines with exercise to up-regulate your renewing functional capacity to match your repairing spinal cord integrity. Phase Three may last between 84 to 105 hours of IMT with identical hours of exercise, if you have a thoracic lesion. Once most of your primary structural blocks and medical concerns are addressed you progress to Phase Four!Phase Four – Much More – IMT with personal training exercise
This final phase is for your long term recovery. Tissues heal with the IMT approach and your potential for recovery continues. Your Structural IMT and IMT In Motion™ Phase Four treatment plan focuses on your ever increasing refinement of movement skills. Your aggressive exercise program advances and expands as your functional abilities advance and expand!
“I choose to progress”
Mission Statement / Philosophy
The GOAL of the Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Program:
To restore health, hope and optimal function to all clients diagnosed with Spinal Cord Injuries.Our CenterIMT MISSION is two-fold:
1) To educate the Spinal Cord Injury client and their family about the body’s ability to heal, thus working to restore hope in their potential for recovery.
2) To provide the SCI population with the most recent and advanced diagnostic, structural and functional manual therapies available throughout the world.
PHILOSOPHY:
The SCI team strongly believes all clients with Spinal Cord Injuries have the potential for recovery, past the traditional predictors of outcome. We believe there is no one single answer for SCI; however, with a combined approach of treating the entire body, we know recovery is possible. Because it is vital for the Spinal Cord Injured client to play an active role in their recovery process, we feel it is empowering for the client to participate in the goal setting process, functional rehabilitation, and nutritional wellness programs. Our team is committed to providing ongoing support to clients and their families throughout their recovery process. We are dedicated to further advancement of techniques through ongoing clinical research.
Centers for Integrative Manual Therapy is a world wide healthcare organization offering therapy for clients with spinal cord injuries. Our multi-disciplinary team consists of professionals from around the world.
Sharon Wiselfish-Giammatteo, Ph.D., P.T., I.M.T., C.
Dr. Sharon Giammatteo is the developer of Integrative Manual Therapy which is an important aspect of the Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Program: Integrative Manual Therapy ™, the Integrated Systems Approach ™, and Integrative Diagnostics ™. She is founder and President of CenterIMT and Dialogues in Contemporary Rehabilitation (DCR).
Dr. Giammatteo graduated from Wingate Institute of Physiotherapy in Israel in 1970. She received her undergraduate degree in Advanced Health Sciences and Medicine and later earned her graduate degree in Clinical Neurosciences from University of Hartford in Connecticut. Dr. Giammatteo has done extensive clinical research in the field of neurology, with her Ph.D. thesis on manual and cranial therapies for the neurologic client. Her list of publications includes articles on developmental manual therapy, manual and craniosacral therapy for cerebral palsy and more. Her books include: Manual Therapy for the Autonomic Nervous System and Related Disorders with Advanced Strain and Counterstrain Technique.
Dr. Giammatteo currently practices IMT in CentersIMT across the country where she facilitates ongoing clinical research for the SCI population. She teaches throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, and Israel on topics such as: Manual Therapy for the Neurologic Patient, Cranial Therapy, and Neural Tissue Tension Techniques.
Sue Leger, D.Sc., P.T., I.M.T., C.
Sue Leger is the Director of Neurologic IMT for all CentersIMT, worldwide, and has her home base at CenterIMT Atlanta. She received her B.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of Florida in 1979 and her M.S. in exercise physiology from Louisiana State University in 1985. Sue is a neuroscience specialist with a Doctor of Science degree, Health Science and Nutrition, from Westbrook University (2004). Sue's dissertation was on 'The Effects of IMT on SCI Recovery.
Sue has worked with clients with spinal cord injuries since 1985. Sue has taught over 170 continuing education workshops, focusing primarily on biomechanical and neurological assessment; handling and movement; lower extremity biomechanics; gait; and the fabrication and function of lower extremity serial casts, splints and orthoses. She has been a speaker at numerous state, regional, and national conferences. Sue is faculty for The Connecticut School of Integrative Manual Therapy and Dialogues in Contemporary Rehabilitation, where she teaches courses in IMT. She is a co-developer, with Dr. Sharon Giammatteo, of IMT courses on stroke, a pediatric-neuro series, as well as series of certification courses on the ankle and foot.
Along with extensive training in IMT techniques, Sue has received in-depth training in many areas, including Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), Acupressure, Cranial Sacral, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Motor Control and Learning, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF), Sensory Integration and Praxis, Mechanical Link, and Visceral Manipulation. Her publications include: Significant Functional Gains Using Integrative Manual Therapy With a Patient Diagnosed With Cerebellar Ataxia and Peripheral Demylination, Lower Extremity Biomechanical Checklist for the Neurologically Involved, and Taping Applications for the Neurologically Involved.
Dr.Thomas Giammatteo, D.C., P.T., I.M.T., C.
Dr. Thomas Giammatteo is CEO of CenterIMT. He received his Doctorate of Chiropractic Medicine from the National College of Chiropractic and earned a Certificate of Meridian Therapy and Acupuncture. He also has undergraduate degrees in both Physical Therapy and Human Biology.
In addition to his teaching fellowship, Dr. Giammatteo was a clinical specialist in Orthopedic and Neurologic Rehabilitation for the National College of Chiropractic. He has also taught and lectured at Northeastern University, Perdue University, and hospitals in Illinois and Connecticut. He was also on staff for three years at the Upledger Institute's Healthplex Clinic and Brain & Spinal Cord Dysfunction Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Dr. Giammatteo currently practices at CenterIMT in Bloomfield, CT, specializing in sport medicine, orthopedic, neurologic, pediatric and medical patients. As a faculty member of Dialogues in Contemporary Rehabilitation (DCR), he teaches international postgraduate workshops in Muscle Energy and Strain/Counterstrain Techniques, utilizing his multidisciplinary knowledge and experience in biomechanics and joint mobilization.
Laurie Lunn, P.T., I.M.T.C.
Laurie Lunn is the Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program for CenterIMT. A 1988 graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina, Laurie has a B.S. in Physical Therapy. Her extensive training has focused on the functional rehabilitation of the neurologic client, neurodevelopmental techniques, motor control theories, and manual techniques. In addition to her leadership in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facilities in North and South Carolina, Laurie has also worked as a clinical wheelchair and seating specialist.
Laurie's knowledge of functional rehabilitation, combined with her skills in IMT, has propelled her to be a leader in the field of SCI rehabilitation. She is currently involved in ongoing clinical research with Dr. Sharon Giammatteo at CenterIMT Bloomfield, CT. Laurie is the Director of Admissions for the Connecticut School of Integrative Manual Therapy. She is teaching faculty for Dialogues in Contemporary Rehabilitation, where she teaches courses on Spinal Cord Injury. Laurie is also teaching advanced tutorials across the country focusing on functional training for the SCI Client.
Atlanta Staff
John Alegi, P.T., I.M.T.,C.
John Alegi is the Practice Manager at CenterIMT Atlanta. He began working at Regional Physical Therapy in February of 1998. He graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1988 with an education degree concentrating in Sport biomechanics. In 1991 he graduated from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Allied Health concentrating in Physical Therapy. Upon his graduation john worked in the acute care setting at Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury Connecticut. He gained valuable experience from various experts and experienced clinicians in the areas of inpatient and outpatient rehab, wound care, and ICU intervention. John also worked in the Sports Medicine arena that allowed him to learn skills in the areas of orthopedics, neurologic, and geriatric rehab, and clinical biomechanics focusing on foot orthotics and gait analysis using computerized motion analysis equipment. This setting also exposed John to management of an outpatient physical therapy setting.
Currently, John lives in Fayetteville, Georgia, with his wife Carol and sons Matthew and Christopher, where he is the Practice Manager for the Center for Integrative Manual Therapy of Atlanta. Additionally, John has been an instructor for DCR and has taught a wide variety of IMT courses, and he has worked at various IMT centers throughout the country.
John continues to study and gain expertise in all aspects of IMT with success in achieving client satisfaction and functional outcomes across many type of diagnoses that include back pain, headaches, spinal cord, stroke, autism, and more. John is currently interested in the advanced field of clinical biomechanics. His clinical research includes the application of regulatory mechanisms applied to biomechanics, sacral mechanics and dysfunctions, the application of consciousness driven systems with clinical biomechanics, multi-system biomechanics including the organ system and the immune system, Additionally, John is interested in the study of circulatory mechanics and quantum physics. In the future, John plans to obtain his PhD in advanced clinical biomechanics. This will foster contributions toward improved client satisfaction and functional outcomes for all patient populations, published research, and the development of curriculum for DCR and for the Connecticut School for Integrative Manual Therapy.
John is a licensed physical therapist in the states of Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. He is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and plans on future participation on the realm of legislation and government pertaining to health, education, and awareness.
Heather Yell - Patient Liason I have the special role at CenterIMT Atlanta of ‘Patient Liason’. This role was made specifically to help meet the special needs each individual and family have coming for IMT. I may be the first voice on the telephone or the first face met at the door. I have lived my entire life in Georgia and now raise my two children here with my husband David. I joined the team at CenterIMT after my second son began his IMT recovery. I can really relate to what people are going through. Before IMT our family had very little hope that our son would ever achieve anything. We were in and out of the hospitals and doctors offices. After multiple surgeries and with many drugs, my son was on a feeding tube and we were told he had respiratory distress, seizure disorder, and cerebral palsy. The doctors told me the things he would never do and that he would always need ‘special care’. After the horror of our son being sick every day of his life, we discovered IMT and started intense IMT intervention. My son made an amazing turn around. His breathing became normal. His seizures stopped. He is now off all of his medicines. He is now eating, walking, talking and developing normally. I cannot put into words the difference IMT has made in our lives. I look forward to going to work each day and seeing the changes that every person makes. Nothing could be more rewarding. My goal is to help every person and family in any way possible.
Sheila Ford, ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer - Personal Training Manager I have been a personal trainer for over 14 years and I am very pleased to be a part of the dynamic team at CenterIMT Atlanta. My own personal dedication to maintaining a fit lifestyle derives from the satisfaction that I have gained both mentally and physically during my years of training. Although I continue to strive to better myself, I feel that my personal experiences and accomplishments provide me with useful tools to assist my clients in achieving and maintaining their personal goals. My mission is to provide the environment and motivation necessary for clients to reach their desired levels of optimum fitness. It is this same zeal that I bring to directing the personal training at Center IMT Atlanta. My mission here is to work with the IMT team and provide our clients with the same motivation, encouragement and expertise necessary to help them meet their fitness goals. I will focus my expertise on gaining strength, endurance, balance, and coordination, while increasing confidence to gain optimum mobility.
CentersIMT are successfully assisting with the optimal habilitation of clients with spinal cord injuries of all types from around the world. All clients with a spinal cord injury begin with a thorough initial evaluation utilizing Integrative Diagnostics and The Integrated Systems Approach. Assessment is pivotal and on-going throughout the Spinal Cord Injury recovery program. Immediate short term goals and long term goals are outlined on an individualized Quadrennial Plan. This individualized plan includes goals, a home program, and quarterly tracking of efforts and progress. It is reviewed and updated with the client, and all support persons, on a quarterly basis.
An individualized treatment plan of Structural Integrative Manual Therapy is drafted and begun. Typically, the initial plan addresses the neural shock and toxicity, Disruptions of Membrane, and blood supply. Structural techniques for all systems of the body (The Integrated Systems Approach) lead to changes in orthopedic restrictions, sensory deficits, postural alignment and balance, spasticity, and overall strength and function. Structure dictates function. Whenever there is an area of the body that is dysfunctional and limited in function, it is always important to begin the treatment process by addressing the structural problems of that area. Once the structure has begun to normalize, function can be addressed optimally.
Bracing and splinting for your protection and alignment is assessed throughout your program. Nutritional support and education is given to clients and families as well as testing of foods and supplements. Sensory enhancement, reduction of synergic spasticity, and strengthening of muscle weakness are assisted with a home program of Threshold Electrical Stimulus (TES) and Neuromotor Electrical Stimulation (NMES).
Function allows ownership of structure. Once the client has begun treatment with Structural Integrative Manual Therapy, Functional Integrative Manual Therapy is implemented. The client begins extensive functional rehabilitation which is progressed throughout the Center-based and home-based program. A personal Pre/Post Video Functional Record is completed initially and repeated every six months. Clients and families appreciate the rewarding digital photographs and video documentation of the rapid performance changes.
Equipment
This fully equipped rehabilitation facility includes all traditional physical therapy devices such as parallel bars, however is most known for their state-of-the-art suspension and elite technology such as the following:
GAIT PATTERNING MACHINE rhythmically moves your limbs in the reciprocal walking pattern while you visualize and assist with motions. Dante DiCenso individually created this machine for FIRST STEP™.
Electrical Stimulation meshed with artificial intelligence brings leg strengthening to an art form with the STIM-MASTER Electrical Stimulation Exercise Bike. www.electrologic.com
WOODWAY treadmill
www.woodway.com
NEUROPULSE
www.neuropulse.com
No Picture Available SCIFIT total body conditioner
www.scifit.com
POWERPLATE
www.powerplateusa.com
No Picture Available I-BEAM suspension track
No Picture Available RIFTON GAIT TRAINER
www.rifton.com
Client Corner
"Functional Practice Permits The Owenership Of Structural Changes"
(Please click on image to enlarge)
Sutton
Jeremy Justin Andy Jake Zaid Amador
Sutton - I’m 25 years old. In Nov, 1999 I lost
control of my car & broke my neck. I was told I had a “complete” C6 spinal cord injury & would never walk again. I lost all sensation & movement from my chest down. I began IMT in the spring of 2001 & I have not stopped progressing since I started. It's now 3 yrs later & my sensation is returning, I can walk in a gait trainer wearing knee braces & ankle splints, I can stand without wearing knee braces as long as my pelvis is supported, I can unlock & lock my knees independently, I can kick my legs out in front of me &
practice standing/walking with fore-arm crutches at therapy. Breaking news
Andy – I’m 28 years old. I was a passenger in a car accident in March 98’ and I am now a C5 “complete” quadriplegic. What I find most attractive about IMT
and First Step is their positive attitude and belief that they can help when others have said there is no hope.
I have been in therapy for a year and my overall heath has improved tremendously.Jeremy – I’m 27 and I’m 4 years post injury. I was hurt in an auto accident leaving me a “complete” C7. I started with IMT/First Step in July 01’and within months I notice changes. My health had improved and my infections (uti’s) had disappeared. I haven’t been sick in 2.5 years. After trying other SCI recovery programs I feel First Step is the right place for me. I was originally told I had a 1% chance of walking again and that my spinal cord looked like scrambled eggs. Now I’m able to crawl, kneel, do leg extensions, starting to lock and unlock my knees while standing, and last week I walked 150 ft. wearing leg/ankle braces in the gait trainer with Sue.
James: “There has been a full decrease in the intensity and frequency of pain and stiffness in my upper back. There is no pain and stiffness with sitting, bending, reaching, and with standing in gait trainer up to one hour. My sitting balance is a lot better. I can now sit without support and I can sit up straighter. My bed mobility is easier and faster. It is great to feel my hips, buttocks, and knees now. I am getting more and more feeling down in my pelvic floor. I am feeling all kinds of things down in my legs. I am getting a few more cold shots down in the legs. I now feel deep sensation in knees, a deep pressure in the right knee. Definitely, my feet are not as cold as they use to be. I can feel my kneecap move when I squeeze my thigh muscles. I can feel my knees now in standing. I no longer pass out when being placed in the gait trainer. I can be up for 90 minutes without a problem. I can shift my weight now in standing and can move both of my legs to take steps. I am very pleased to tell you that I walked in the gait trainer 100 feet over a one-hour period with only five rest stops.”
Justin: “My pain is gone and feeling is coming back. My sitting is much better and I can now transfer even onto high tables or up and in my sports utility vehicle. I am driving now. I used to not be able to exercise or stress myself physically because my oxygen levels would drop. Now that is no longer a problem. I am now walking 400 feet in the gait trainer with lots of stops. My bowels have even begun to change and I have been able to go without stimulation for the past week.”
Zaid - T12 complete
Amador Granados: “In the other facilities no on cared for me. They didn’t do different exercises and here they did. Here they have given me exactly what I need. Some of the changes that have come from IMT have been through the nutrition that has been provided for me.”
Testimonials
C4c
I am a 19-year-old complete C-4-5 SCI male from Auburn, Alabama. I was injured in a high school wresting accident on Dec 27 of 2000. In Sept of 2001, I went to Ecuador to receive Schwann cell transplants. In Dec. of 2002, I started CIMT in Atlanta. I heard about it from a fellow CIMT patient, Sutton Howell. I try for 8 to 12 hours of therapy per month. I am progressing well with my therapy. It makes me feel better than any other methods that I have tried. In July of 2004, I went to China to receive embryonic olfactory ensheathing glial cells. I now have improved body temperature and some slight wrist and hand movements. I can hold a cup with two hands.
My goal is to be able to have more upper body strength and balance and improved use of my wrists, hands, and fingers. I love using the Gait Patterning Machine, Neuropluse 2, and the Stim Master bike in the Renaissance center. I plan to continue my work at CIMT and in 2 more years hope to receive more cell transplants, hopefully with additional drugs or chemicals that are designed to increase the efficacy of the cells. The cure for SCI will come from a combination of CIMT, cellular transplants, and drugs that will allow axons to traverse the glial scar in the spinal cord and hock up with axons on the other side of the lesion.
Sincerely;
Jake Giambrone
C4i C5c
My name is Andy Graham. I was in a car accident in March 1998. I was diagnosed as a complete C-5 quadriplegic. I first heard about CIMT from Jim Hardy. He was coming for therapy and expressed to me what a positive and beneficial experience it had been so far. I have now been coming for the last 2 years. In that time I have seen significant weight gain and trunk control. I am much stronger and in much better health than I have been in a long time. The people and the attitude at CIMT make all the difference.
C-5i
“My sitting balance is much better, but I still want someone near. My endurance is better and I am actually standing now with a lot of help. I am feeling straighter in the chair and my neck feels looser. I can now get on my stomach and prop up on my forearms, which I could never do before. I can even move myself from one side to the other.”
C-6c
On November 19, 1999 I wrecked my car & was diagnosed with a complete C6 spinal cord injury, I was 20 years old. I lost all sensation & movement from the chest down. I started IMT in 2001 & have not stopped progressing since. I can bench press 70 lbs, walk independently in a gait trainer in all directions(wearing leg braces), unlock & lock my knees, stand without leg braces as long as my pelvis is supported, kick my legs out in front of me, get into quadraped independently, ride horses, my sensation is coming back & I am practicing walking with forearm crutches. My goal is to walk, run, etc without any assistance.
Sutton Howell
C7c
“I haven’t been sick since I started. My pain is gone. My arms and stomach are getting muscle definition back. I sit and transfer by myself, even in and out of the car. My standing is getting better and I can feel myself standing and shifting my weight. I can move my legs and take steps now in the gait trainer. I can kick out with either leg. My hands are almost normal. No one ever guesses my level.”
T3c
I first heard about Center IMT from a friend and also a College Advisor who sent me internet information. Since I was given no hope for improvement from the Medical community, I started to look into IMT. I liked what I read and heard from the center.
I was not only given hope…I was given a definite YES; “We can help you.” I like how they rehab people. Every aspect is covered from head to toe and there rationale is confirmed with improvement. They don’t give up on your muscles. They keep you positive and keep re-affirming what you are seeing and feeling. My lifestyle has had to change a lot because of my injury and what is necessary for therapy, which is difficult for a 21-year-old college student. It has given me an easy and truthful excuse to my peers…”It will mess up my therapy.”
Things I would like to see improved are complete involvement of senior therapist and less work by interns. Also a better understanding of the trials and tribulations of each individual SCI. Assess what each has going on in their lives and how even the best planned scenario can change at a moments notice.
I am impressed with the progress I am making. I wished and hoped it was a quicker process, but I am seeing more improvement then I thought possible. My goals for my future from IMT are to live my life without any barriers. To regain 100% of all physical and body functions. I will not give-up or stop until this is achieved.
Sincerely,
Justin Campagna
T8c
I arrived at Center IMT Atlanta in late January of 2005 filled with anticipation – excited about starting, afraid of trying and failing, unsure of whether I was venturing into a great new phase of recovery or a foolish and desperate squandering of my resources.
On my very first day, I was immediately put onto an electrical stim bike. This was very exciting because I was precluded from doing this at my rehab hospital because their bike was reserved for spinal cord injuries that were labeled as incomplete. So finally, a year a 3 months after my accident, I got onto one of these bikes I had heard about in the first few weeks after my injury.
I only lasted 4 minutes that day before the machine stopped as it sensed the exhaustion in my atrophied leg muscles. The team here at IMT worked me hard for the next 3 days – pushing me to try to move muscles I could not feel and had been told would never work again. They did their touch-healing that I don’t exactly understand. Then, at the start of the third day, I was put back on the bike.
This time, the experience was different. My legs persisted for 20 minutes – a five-fold improvement in only 3 days! I had ridden nearly 4 miles on these legs that had not ridden since the day I was hit by the car while doing my 35-mile ride. Best of all was my sudden awareness of my hamstrings and glutes and some of my lower abdominals –I was able to feel them work. I have no feeling of touch or temperature below my T- injury, but I have begun to feel my muscles work to some degree.
A week later we tried again at the end of a long day of workouts and I rode for 30 minutes and showed no sign of tiring – we stopped only because it was the end of the day and time to close the office for the night.
At the end of my fourth week, I rode the stim-bike at the end of a long day of workouts and we were all shocked to see me ride the bike for the entire first minute without any electrical stim help at all.
My progress is equally exciting on other apparatus. My favorite is the bio-feedback machine that simulates walking and skiing down a mountain so that I can learn to sense whether my weight is on my left or right foot and get better at shifting back and forth. I have set some records on that machine. I have also done well in beginning to simulate walking in the gate trainer.
I love it here. The personal trainer here is the best I’ve met anywhere including comparisons with the staff I met at Project Walk. The staff is friendly and flexible and totally focused on helping me to get over the everyday hurdles of living life as a paraplegic. The equipment here is fabulous and the intimate setting and small scale makes everything run better for me, the client.
I have gone from skeptical about the touch-healing work they do here to completely convinced that it is a major new technology in healing that will transform the medical field over the coming 20-30 years. I have seen them heal things in me and in others with speed and effectiveness dramatically ahead of normal “old-school” medical approaches. As far as I can tell from my research, CenterIMT is the best place in the country to go for treating a spinal-cord injury. If your injury is labeled complete like mine, this is clearly the place to be. They are producing results that are generally labeled as impossible. It is working for me.
T8c
“There has been a full decrease in the intensity and frequency of pain and stiffness in my upper back. There is no pain and stiffness with sitting, bending, reaching, and with standing with gait trainer up to one hour. My sitting balance is a lot better. I can now sit without support and I can sit up straighter. My bed mobility is easier and faster. It is great to feel my hips, buttocks and knees now. I am getting more and more feeling down in my pelvic floor. I am feeling all kinds of things down in my legs. I am getting a few more cold shots down in the legs. I now feel deep sensation in knees, a deep pressure in the right knee. Definitely, my feet are not as cold as they use to be. I can feel my kneecap move when I squeeze my thigh muscles. I can feel my knees now in standing. I no longer pass out when being placed in the gait trainer. I can be up for 90 minutes without any problem. I can shift my weight now in standing and can move both of my legs to take steps. I am very pleased to tell you that I walked in the gait trainer 100 feet over a one-hour period with only five rest stops.”
T11c
“What can I say. I couldn’t move my legs and now I am peddling a bike. My pain was unbearable and now it is much less and only comes and goes. My attitude is totally changed.”
T10c
I am a 30 year old male with a T10c spinal cord injury I received from a gunshot wound in 2004. I first learned about Center IMT Atlanta on the internet while doing some research and began treatment at the Atlanta center in July of 2005.
Since beginning treatment at CIMT, I have experienced improvement in my core strength, ability to balance, coordination, increased sensation, and gained a better perspective of my injury. I now have a heightened concentration and consciousness of control of my core and pelvic area. My family and friends have noticed the changes in my sitting posture and the overall increase in strength since beginning IMT. My overall experience has been very encouraging and motivating. I especially have enjoyed my exercise with the Personal Trainer I call “Sarge”. My personal goal is to one day run in a marathon and I believe with the help of CIMT, I will accomplish that goal.
T11-T12
I was electrocuted and fell 20 feet while working as a tree surgeon, October 2003. I dislocated my left shoulder and burst my T12 vertebra. I was diagnosed as an ASIA A with no sensation or movement from my waist down. I also had headaches, indigestion, with severe bowel problems and sexual function problems. I worked at Shepherd Spinal Center for one year and got a lot stronger in my upper body. Then at the end of 2004 I went to CenterIMT Atlanta. They worked on my back, nerves and arteries. Within a few months I could feel my legs and stand. In the spring of 2005 I was walking with a rolling walker and driving a truck without hand controls! I really believe in IMT and I am very grateful.
T12c
“My sensation is increasing in both gluteals and in both legs down to ankles. When the sensation was returning in my left ankle there was a period of time it felt like it was broke. My pain level is significantly improved. I have increased tolerance for laying on back from 10 minutes to 4 hours. My sitting is drastically changed. Pain stopped me from sitting more than 20 minutes and I can now sit up to 14 hours. I now have the strength to pull to standing and stay up for several minutes without braces. I actually am learning how to get into the gait trainer by myself. I walked 400 ft forward and 40 feet backwards in the gait trainer without any help today.”
L1i
My name is Ron Wolfe, I am 54 years old. On October 5, 2004 while jogging I was hit by a car and received an L1 incomplete spinal injury. I was in intensive and acute hospital care for about one week and in an acute rehab facility for 3 weeks. I then went to a “traditional” facility on an outpatient basis for 4 months before starting therapy at Center IMT Atlanta.
My experience has been that most therapy centers and Physical Therapists work from the same model. Simply stated that model is “we will work with you to maximize the use of what muscle control and sensation spontaneously returns to you”. Generally that means they will work with you to adapt your life around your disability (in other words “this is the way you are going to be, so get used to it).
The model that the people at Center IMT Atlanta work from is completely different. It is one that says that your body wants to recover and heal and given the proper environment and conditions it will. They apply a range of different techniques considering the body as a whole. They also have a continuous optimistic attitude and offer realistic hope, which is very motivating. I do not understand the intricacies of what they do in many cases, but I know that it does bring about improvements.
I have been receiving therapy at Center IMT Atlanta for 4 months. I am also continuing with physical (exercise) therapy at a facility near my home and have a home exercise program. What impressed me from the beginning was that they (the IMT staff) identified and paid attention to items of injury and areas of my body that no other doctor or therapist paid any attention to. Working on these areas has contributed to my improvement.
I have had significant gains during the time I have been going to Center IMT Atlanta. After the second month I gained bladder sensation. I have also gained sensation in several muscle areas. The strength in my legs continues to improve and now I have considerably improved gait when I am walking in a walker. I still spend most of my time in a wheelchair, although I am working to extend the time I spend out of it. I have full expectation of retiring the wheelchair and progressing through to complete recovery. While I don’t understand the mechanism of a lot of their therapy, I base my expectation on documented cases and the history of the patients I have met at Center IMT.
While some of the improvements that I have had would certainly have happened without IMT therapy, I am convinced that I have progressed farther and faster than I would have without it.
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"Persons with SCI are progressing well past traditional Predictors Of Outcomes At First Step"
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