Winter is a great season that many Northerners are fortunate to experience. All the cold, plowing and slow traffic aside, snow is beautiful and can keep kids busy for hours. But when you have a condition that causes muscle spasms and joint stiffness to begin with, the winter season can add to your pain and discomfort, and ultimately can lead you to become more self-secluded.
When I was in elementary school especially, I tried my hardest to not let the cold keep me from experiencing childhood pleasures, and my aids tended to be equally motivated. There was always the difficulty of dressing me in my big, puffy coat, hat, gloves, boots and fat snow pants. Sometimes two women at a time had to work together to dress me for winter recess or winter gym activities, and I remember feeling a bit like a burden if they got frustrated. I thought they were frustrated at me, not my clothes. My spasticity and lack of voluntary movement always made it a huge chore to dress within the time allotted to the other, able-bodied students, so I would have to start getting ready 10 to 15 minutes before them. Even then though, sometimes I would still be the last one out the doors.
One time, on such a day, I was using my walker heading outside to play in the snow, and was trailing behind the others. My snowpants were always too big for me, because I was commonly between sizes. But on this day, my aid thought it faster to let me get to the door down the hall before she secured my shoulder straps of my snowpants. Halfway down the hall, there I was at 58 pounds, and at just 10 years old, standing at exactly 4 feet, waddling in my ittle walker with baggy snowpants at my ankles, scurrying after the others. I was embarrassed, but my aid quickly made light of it, fixed it and hurried me outside.
Because it was hard for me to do most snow activities like building snowmen, my classmates had built me a hill of snow and cheered me on as I climbed it on my knees and some of the others climbed too, and we compared speeds.
There was another time, during our annual winter school field days, that I was allowed to take part in more of the games that what I had previously done. I was in the tire race. 2 to 3 teams of 4 to 6 classmates would pull a kid in the seat of a tire across the sidelawn around cones, and would compete to be the fastest and finish the quickest without spilling the rider. I was obviously the rider. Ha! My friends love this memory! I was 12 years old, and all bundled up like Randy Parker, sitting up as best I could on the tire. It had no back support, so I had been straining tonbegin with, but I also had very limited use of my right hand and as soon as my team started sprinting, I could only hold on with my left. So again, there I was, this little bit of a thing in the middle of this gigantic tire, legs in heavy clonis, bundled up like mini Michellen man, holding on for dear life with one hand. Yup, as we turned the corner, you can guess what happened next... In a video taken of this, when the race starts, you see me doumg rodeo from the left side of the screen crossing over it, and then you see these teachers and my principal bolting across the screen, before you realize that I had nearly done a face plant in the small snow bank behind the cones. I was laughing hysterically! I had known that this was probably going to happen, but I loved it. I wasn't hurt.
Between the ages of 7 and 10, my aid at the time took me sledding in gym class with the others down a slope set up in the back of the school. She would have me between her legs for support and we'd be pushed down the hill, both laighing and screaming and having a blast. We did tip several times, but that just added to the fun. Then I'd be rushed inside to warm up. My teachers would vigorously rub my feet until all the heaviness and numbness dulled to a little tingle and then they'd wrap me in blankets and sometimes my aid would give me a little hot chocolate, too.
But with the cold, my muscles would often tense and my hips would freeze, and being in the snow would usually cause me more pain than pleasure. I hated sinking down into the snow and having trouble moving and when my hands got cold, they'd burn because of my difficulty with circulation. Before the snow would pain me, my brother and I used to build snow forts in the backyard and I'd watch him build snowmen and we'd even do snowball fights, though they never ended well on my end, since my fort was usually half as strong and tall as my brothers. Sometimes we'd put snow down each others jackets or make snow angels. Mine were always made with one wing and had no legs, unless my brother decided to teach me how to spread and close my heels without smearing the snow, and he would sometimes fix them.
MY TIPS FOR ENJOYING THE WINTER WEATHER WITH JOINT & MUSCLE PAIN & WHY:
1.) Use heated garb: heated clothing items can help prolong the time you can spend in the cold. You can use heated socks, which are known to heat your feet very quickly and will last for hours, depending on the type you get. You can sometimes put tiny heat packs in your mittens. Always ask your medical professionals before applying heat to your body in case you have a sensativety.
2.) Use mittens, not gloves: Unlike gloves, mittens keep all of your fingers against each other and moving together, which helps keep your fingers and hands warmer and warmer for longer periods of time. However, mittens may be a little irritating if you have difficulty with mobility, because your hands may feel cramped and mittens may limit the activities you can do. Mittens are usually best worn if you are going to keep finger movement at a minimum.
3.) Wear a ski mask: ski masks are great for keeping your cheeks, mouth and nose warm at the same time. They keep snow from biting your face, and as you breathe, your breath will be trapped a little in the mask and held against your face. They are best warm if you are faced with incredible fast, strong, cold wind, as found while skiing or doing snowmobiling, but they can be worn whenever you see fit. These masks might make someone feel too restrained, so you might need to remove it often and then adjust it when needed.
4.) Cover in a heated blanket: These are sold in a variety of shapes, sizes, weight and with various fillings. You can buy an electric blanket for your bed and adjust the heating level accordingly via an outlet, and the heat usually lasts for 5 hours or more. You can also buy lap warmers. These can lay on your lap and can be heated in the microwave according to your pregerence. The heat usually lasts for a couple hours. Please consult your doctor before applying heat to your body in case you have a sensativety.
5.) Seek heated aquatic therapy: Just as hot baths on cold days does anyone good, combining bath water tempurature with individualized physical therapy can be an incredible aid against tight, spastic muscles and joint pain. The water makes you more bouyemt and relaxed, therefore giving you more physical flexibility, not to mention a great way to get exercise without pain! Consult your doctor and therapist to discuss this option. If you don't want professional therapy, simply moving your limbs in warm bath water will help. Consult your therapist or doctor about proper movements.