Velocity

The story of Steve Delabar, the baseball player on the Seattle Mariners, made me cry –but in a good way. If you haven’t heard or seen it, you can catch it on HBO, but here are some highlights. This guy was a pitcher, got injured requiring nine screws in his arm, and went into early retirement from baseball. He went back to school to work on his degree and did some substitute teaching. He stayed close to the game he loved, coaching, and working on a new technique to help players improve their throwing arm. Through helping others work on their game, he was working on himself. He tested his arm, and to his surprise, he was throwing 92-94 and even as high as 96. He went on to play in the minor league, was doing well, and then he got that call. The dream! He was going to the big league! Love it! Happy tears!

I read up on this technique and I learned that pitchers need speed, which we know, but they also need something called “velocity” which is not the same thing. Velocity is based on physics and release of energy. In the context of baseball, it’s about the mechanics of the pitcher’s body movements that result in a release of energy and a good, fast, controlled pitch. It doesn’t take a lot of upper body strength to throw a little baseball fast. It takes velocity because pitching is an explosive movement. It’s like a crack of a whip. If you don’t make that fast wrist snap, you don’t get that crack –same idea.

My Gramps had a stroke and had great difficulty walking or “ambulating.” He used a wheelchair and had limited mobility. He had a “gait velocity assessment” which measures in meters per second the level of impairment, indicates from mild to severe, and gives a prediction of risk for falling. He was able to do basic transfers to use the commode, and get into the shower chair, and into bed, but he needed help with all of these things. I had to learn so much when I became a Caregiver, and transfers was one of the scariest things to me because I had such a fear of my grandfather falling and getting hurt. I never thought about or realized that if I moved the wrong way in my supporting him, I could’ve hurt myself or both of us in the process!

I want to recommend that if your loved one or patient has limited mobility, work with his rehab staff and/or doctors and nurses on how to support transfers. It is important to learn the proper technique so that your loved one doesn’t move too quickly and get dizzy, confused, and lose balance. It is also important that you move properly, bend your knees, do not strain your back and twist inappropriately, and avoid getting hurt yourself. Lock the wheels on the wheelchair, move the foot rests. If it’s a transfer to a hospital bed, lower the bed. If you are using a gait transfer or any device, make sure you follow instructions. If you know a two-man transfer is required, do not go it alone. Never grab your loved one’s clothing. Stay close. Always take your time, never rush this process. These are basics and there are dozens of other tips, but work with your healthcare provider, to learn the proper technique for you and your loved one’s safety.