Shoelaces

When your dexterity is limited tying anything is difficult. I have had my experience with weaving different knots, bracelets, lanyards and keychains using paracord but that is so much different than tying shoes. With paracord I typically have plenty of extra slack to work with, the knot or lanyard is in front of me at the ideal height on a desk or table, and they are typically knots tied tight enough that they will never come undone.

Shoelaces do not have the slack, are not in an ideal position to work on when they're on your floppy and uncooperative feet, and are knotted with the intention of being easily untied for removal or re-tying to snug them up.

Why do we need our shoes tied tight? Because often leg spasms can kick our foot right out of the shoe, properly fitting and tied shoes can assist in reducing foot drop caused by a tightening Achilles tendon, and it can help reduce edema. For these reasons I prefer footwear with a fairly high rise to them. However, hightop sneakers are more of an 80s to mid-90s thing. Hiking boots are usually what I go for when the long search for the right new footwear, that won't bother my feet or cause pressure sores, begins.

I have been fortunate enough to have someone available on a regular enough basis to tie my shoes when they need it. I do not suffer from edema like many people do, and because my feet are well stretched out each day I do not fear foot drop. Because of this I simply slip my shoes on and off each day but have not actively sought out a reliable method for independently tying shoes.

If you have a solution for this I would very much welcome your feedback!

Next week we will look at Velcro which goes far, far beyond a method of securing shoes in its usefulness and helpfulness in strengthening our independence.

Solution: Other than practice and patience, I have none that I can recommend as reliable and adequate.

Eye Drops

It's not that eye drops are necessarily a common need for quads, it's that administering them is difficult to do independently for a few reasons.

First is simply the dexterity needed to control the bottle with two hands in order to squeeze it gently and precisely enough to apply just a drop or two. Both hands are occupied so forget using one, or both, to hold your eyelid open.

Second is the complication of the reduced range of motion in our necks. Many of us have had neck vertebrae fused as part of the treatment after our injury to prevent further damage by stabilizing the neck with hardware. This reduction in our range of motion makes it more difficult to tip our heads back far enough to administer the eye drop. As much as we become good at compensating for lost range by bending at the back or waist, being in a properly fitted wheelchair holds us in an upright position quite well. This struggle to overcome limited range can be eliminated by administering the drops while in bed, but many eye drops call for more than the two times per day when you'd definitely be in bed.

Holding the bottle two-handed, without dropping it in your eye, keeping your eyelid open, all while maintaining your balance is no small task. But practice makes perfect. Of course, I do not take for granted the times my wife has taken care of the application leaving the balance and eyelid to me.

Solution: Look away from the bottle to prevent blinking and back up to a wall or corner and lock your wheels then use the wall to lean on to help with balance. These tricks may help with or without someone else's help.