Is it too late to build muscle ?

[leedwards2005]

[COLOR=white]How late is too late to build muscle ?[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]Is there a doctor in the house ? Or a physiotherapist ? [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]The reason being is that I have a case study .[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]My cousin is a fairly good guy . He is in his late 20?s and not very athletic . I consider him an ectomorph ( his body build ) though he is developing a ?pot belly? .[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]He suffers from a case of hemiplegia due to complications during his child birth . This caused a weakening on the right side of his body .[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]At the time his parents didn?t know what to expect but decided to raise him as normal as could be . As he grew there were time of his peers taunting him for his size . His dad urged him to exercise but the teasing broke his self-confidence and he became very introverted so he didn?t take any advice from his dad . I tried to help him but some scars are a bit deep . Whenever he visit I don?t bring it up but he can manage by himself but am still worried as his muscles could have atrophied .[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]Eight years ago while on a routine check-up he found a physiotherapist in a distant town .[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]The therapist said his parents should have brought him to the center years ago. Now as an adult there is very little that can be done . [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]The first thing that has to improve is his motor skills . Then I think he can start building muscle . [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]My question is the same as I posted above .[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]Is it too late to build muscle ?[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white]If there is hope , can anyone recommend a training plan ?[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=white] The therapist is costly and so is hiring a personal trainer .[/COLOR]

[abbraxis]

Well, I'm not familiar with his affliction... but I never think it's too late to get healthy.

As long as his body isn't beyond repair (I would be surprised if that can even happen) then it's not too late... but if a specialist says something like, "there is very little we can do" I would consult them first.

Not to sound like a cynic, but if he was beyond hope, I'm surprised they didn't take him and try to rob his family blind after their "treatment" failed.

I don't know.

Part of me says it's never too late to get healthy... but another part of me doesn't understand his condition... so I would plead with a specialist before I did anything else.

[rairf]

A great resource for looking into treatments and prognoses for medical conditions is http://medlineplus.gov . It's more comprehensive than other medical tools, and has extensive records of various studies, which may provide the preliminary answer to this question.

[monstermusclebe]

Another resource for your cousin might be the Feldenkrais Method. It is a movement and motor function method designed to heal the body through improved body awareness:

http://www.feldenkrais.com/

"The Method has been very helpful in dealing with central nervous system conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and stroke." -- I don't know if it would help your cousin, but it wouldn't hurt to ask a Feldenkrais practitioner about it.

[nypup2train]

Originally Posted by abbraxis

As long as his body isn't beyond repair (I would be surprised if that can even happen) then it's not too late... but if a specialist says something like, "there is very little we can do" I would consult them first.

Actually, if a specialist told him that, then it would be wise for him to seek the advice of a different specialist (or more than one).

In certain communities (especially HIV and related care), it's common and even encouraged that the doctor-patient relationship be viewed as a partnership. Honestly, everyone should approach their medical care that way. And one important factor in a successful partnership is making sure that everyone has the same goals.

As someone put it to me a couple of years ago, "Never trust a doctor who says there's nothing they can do. Or one who tells you he can save your life."

You've found a doctor you can work with when you hear from their lips the only truth that matters: your current situation, whatever it is, can be managed in various different ways through goal-oriented care and informed dialogue about the options available to you. By planning your care together, you and your doctor can choose a course of treatment that will maximize your individual quality of life, and minimize the degree to which your health has a detrimental impact.

In other words, your cousin doesn't need to hear what was done wrong in the past. (Well, it is good data in understanding his current situation, but in the end "what's done is done" and dwelling on how things coulda-woulda-shoulda been different/theoretically-better is just defeatist. Bordering on fatalistic.)

The conversation should start with "So here's where we are today", merely as a setup for "Here are your options for dealing with the current situation, and the impact each approach is likely to have on your life." (NOT just the specific condition!) Then, your cousin can weigh those choices against his personal priorities and/or discuss his goals with the doctor and seek his recommendation on how to proceed.

The important point: the PATIENT chooses the plan of treatment, based on his own priorities and concerns. The doctor / provider's primary role is to ADVISE the patient, providing expert knowledge and analysis that will enable the patient to make the most informed and considered choice.

Of course, it also means your cousin needs to know what his goals are and how realistic they are, and have a basic sense of how strongly he feels about achieving those goals, so he can decide what they're worth to him.

"There's very little we can do" may just be a (bad) response to badly defined goals on your cousin's part. "You have a birth condition, that's not progressing, and isn't threatening you in any immediate sense, and which we can't magically reverse. What do you want from us?"

And if your cousin's goal is to be completely rid of the effects of his condition, and achieve a completely "normal" lifestyle as if he'd never suffered from hemiplegia, that unfortunately may be a very unrealistic goal. But there must be more realistic ways to approach the problem ("I'd like to build my body up on the affected side, better balance it against my stronger side", vs. "I'd like to begin building overall body mass, and want to understand how my hemiplegia affects how I proceed, and what results I'll see." In my mind, one important question that's worth asking himself at that point is: "Do I want to avoid anything that'll build mass on the stronger side only and increase the disproportionality? Or is developing muscle/strength more important to me, even at the cost of increased asymmetry in my development?")

If your cousin takes some realistic, informed (even aggressive!) goals -- or at least concerns -- to a specialist in his condition, they should be able to advise him on the safest, most effective approach that'll give him the best possible chance of achieving what he wants. They can also inform him of any associated risks/concerns. (Is it dangerous or beneficial for him to target only the affected side of his body? Only the unaffected side? Under what conditions?)

Anyone who doesn't have the answers to these sort of questions, and some suggestions or additional questions for him to consider in planning how to proceed ... is of absolutely no use to your cousin.

-Pup

P.S> Holy crap that got long. And the sad thing is, the first version was easily twice this length, before I started slashing it down.

[leedwards2005]

Thanks for the many suggestions .

I am working with my cousin and will see how he can improve .