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Kathy Barras wrote: <Will, <I believe I missed an earlier posting, but could you please explain what= <kind of program (exercise?) that you have joined? Hello Kathy, This what I wrote earlier about this subject: <Subj.: Physical Therapy exercises <Hi Loretta, <How sweet of you to inquire. <I was like your husband probably. I did not see any useful use for unproductive motions, in spite of the urging <by my wife and daughters. I= thought some walking and doing the maintenance chores were all the activi= ty I <would need. <I did not realize how much time of the day was spent just sitting. Muscl= e stiffness gets progressively worse, <until there are some movements that you cannot make. As they say: "Use it or lose it!!" <These exercises are great and they have helped me loosen up again. <They are done mostly sitting in a chair, except for a number of exercise= s in which one stands behind the <chair. <The chair is then really a prop to help balance. <All the muscles get a turn in a good program. You feel wonderful after seriously taking part in an hours worth <of these exercises. Some people = in the group are already at the stage where they can hardly move anything. <They just stare at the therapist and probably in their mind think that they are doing that themselves too. <Others have trouble telling right from left. Nobody is being forced. Everybody can do whatever they think they <can manage. I feel lucky I can= still do most anything. <My neurologist is amazed, when he checks me out that I have apparently still no, or very little, ratcheting <effects when moving neck muscles an= d elbows and he finds that I can walk almost normal. After having <been on = a 3 month visit schedule, he moved me to a 6 month schedule. He says: "Whatever you are doing, <keep on doing it. It seems to work!" <I still drive a car and remember that in the first year after diagnosis = I had trouble looking back because of stiff <neck muscles. Now, five years later I can almost turn my head as I used to when young. It hurts a bit now, but <I can move it! = <If you have access to a program like that, by all means try to get your husband to join. He'll be glad he did! <Best wishes, <Will Kuipers = Dallas, Texas 76-dx'91 <<[log in to unmask]