In 2017, Paul Lambert suffered three consecutive strokes and his life changed beyond recognition overnight. He lost the ability to move the left side of his body, experienced constant headaches, and struggled to sleep due to constant pain.
Prior to the stroke, Paul had been an avid runner, cycling-club member and keen triathlete. He was always eager for a physical challenge and had assumed he’d be healthy into his eighties.
The stroke impacted Paul’s mobility, with spasticity affecting his muscles and movement and causing him increasing discomfort.
Initially, he received treatment in hospital for mobility issues, but was keen to understand why he was experiencing a continuous headache that was preventing him from sleeping. He began treatment at the Chiropractic Clinic at AECC University College.
“I initially come in with several problems other than my stroke-related ones. I had pain in both knees, pain in both shoulders from a previous accident, and a constant headache which was undiagnosed.
“Initially, I wanted to get help for the headache, which was making me feel unable to do other things in my life. Pretty quickly the headache was gone and my back-pain was kept at more manageable levels. The Clinic team did remarkable work relieving my long-term pain.”
Paul saw Clinical Placement Student, Charlotte Mackie, at the Chiropractic Clinic at AECC University College and they worked on a treatment plan together.
“Our plan for Paul was to help him manage his pain and his symptoms; working with different techniques to improve the pain in his shoulders and increase his range of motion. I wanted to reduce the tension that he felt in his lower limbs and advise him on stretches that he could do to help with spasticity on his left side.
“We created a strengthening plan to help support the treatment and increase his overall body strength. We worked on specific exercises to help strengthen and improve coordination, which both help him with walking.
“From my point of view, I wanted to support Paul in his goals and help him to achieve them whilst reducing pain and improving his functionality.”
Having started his treatment, Paul started to notice a significant difference. He says:
“Reducing the aggravation of my spasticity meant just getting up was a lot easier: from trying to lift myself out of bed, to putting one foot on the floor.
“I don’t expect miracles, but bit by bit positive things have happened and the pain has reduced. My knees are better; my right knee is probably a little bit painful, but that’s a long-term problem caused by too much running.
“I’ve started sleeping better, which has had a positive effect on my whole world. It has improved my mood and made getting up in the mornings easier; whereas before I used to have a lot of pain.
“It really has had quite a profound effect on my daily life; not just my physical wellbeing, but my mental wellbeing as well.”
Paul also uses the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill as part of his rehabilitation. This treadmill is used to help people get back to walking or running.
“My passion was always running and I still dream about running at night. The most positive thing for me has been using the AlterG in the gym. It’s such an amazing piece of equipment and it’s helping me get a little bit closer to this final dream of running again.
“Charlotte has been able to see my progress, so it must make her feel that the work she’s doing is a very positive thing. It’s been great.”
Training to becoming a chiropractor at AECC University College can be a hugely rewarding career choice. Our chiropractic courses mean you can learn the skills to diagnose, treat and prevent mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Learn how to improve the general health of patients, and make a difference in people’s lives.
Our patient stories demonstrate the impact that our students and clinicians in our on-site clinics can have on the lives of patients.
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Parkwood Campus
Parkwood Road
Bournemouth
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