Keeping track of improvements

During the first 10 months it will be easier to track progress. First contractions, start flexing the elbow, start moving the arm and so on.

I found that around the 10th month it was harder to track progress, I felt the arm abduction was very similar week after week. And I often found myself thinking the arm improvements slowed down.

Eventually I came up with measurements that showed me otherwise:

The numbers are time references (10th month and 1 week, and so on). As you can see, there's a weekly improvement on the measurements. This keeps my motivation up for daily rehab exercises. I think finding your motivation is an essential key for the best final result, which can be 2 to 3 years down the road.

What I do is, pick up a few movements I can do, and measure how high I get on them against the closet and mark them with a timestamp. There are other ways to measure progress, for example, how high you get while soaping your hair in the shower or how far you get trying to open that tall cabinet. Anything that can be easily measured is good.

This motivation is not just for daily exercises, but also to live well. To keep away from cigarettes and second hand smoke, be a social drinker rather than a daily one, and to eat well for a healthier nerve regeneration.

And of course, be grateful for those improvements. Focusing on the positive side will help you keep on track for recovery.