Phase I - Reactivation & Phase II - Development/Stabilization

    The goal is to stimulate the nervous system with load bearing and active recruitment to
    develop joint stabilization.
    Step It Up Recovery Center starts once a spinal cord injured person leaves the hospital. We
    work with all types of injuries (ASIA A to ASIA D), as long as the person can breathe on his/her
    own, does not have severe osteoporosis, and has obtained a doctor’s clearance to start an
    intensive exercise program.
    Reactivation or reorganization of the nervous system is what seems to cause the most
    controversy regarding The Dardzinski Method™. We started this program with the belief that a
    nervous system traumatized by a spinal cord injury could reorganize itself when introduced to
    proper external stimulation. Recent research has confirmed that the central nervous system
    can reorganize itself after spinal cord injury (2-5). However, without proper external stimulation
    the human nervous system will deteriorate after injury. When the nervous system is medicated
    with drugs that interfere with correct sensation and prevent errant muscle contractions, when it
    is exposed to treatment that refuses to stimulate the paralyzed body parts, how can it be
    expected to improve? NASA and the Russian space programs have both spent millions of
    dollars researching how the body deteriorates when exposed to reduced gravity, including loss
    of bone density and muscle mass(1,6-8). Place a person with a spinal cord injury in a power
    chair (reduced gravity), pump them full of drugs, and leave them alone--what do you expect will
    happen; nothing. At Step It Up Recovery Center, we are attempting to reactivate the nervous
    system with a goal of developing it into a more functional system. We will never guarantee that
    a client will walk because the truth is, we don’t know. What we do know, is that we have
    developed a method that can aid the injured nervous system in regaining lost function.

    Many of our clients are now controlling their muscles below the level of injury. However, time
    and time again, we hear they are doing so because they are incomplete injuries. This is
    untrue. Some started the program many years post injury when “spontaneous” recovery should
    have plateaued; others were diagnosed complete injuries in the hospital, but have regained
    enough function to now be considered incomplete.

    The Old Approach to SCI

    No hope for recovery
    Interfere with sensation and muscle contractions with drugs
    Limited to no stimulation of the paralyzed areas
    Place the person in a continual reduced gravity environment (the wheelchair)
    Results

    Loss of bone density and muscle mass, further reducing the chances of recovery in the future
    Decreased circulation
    Increased risk of infections and pressure sores
    No improvement of function

    The Dardzinski Method (Exercise-Based Recovery)

    Hope of recovery. No one knows the future and nothing is guaranteed, but the unknown is
    better than never
    Begin external stimulation for the nervous system to promote reorganization
    Remove clients from reduced gravity environment while working out
    Muscle contractions are increased and used to build muscle mass and control
    Load bearing exercises are performed from day one
    Worse case result is the client is healthy and more independent
    Best case result is the client begins to regain function and continues to improve

    Results of Phase I (Reactivation) & Phase II (Development/Stabilization)

    Increased central nervous system activity
    Increased muscle mass
    Increased circulation
    Increased sensation in some clients
    Increased hot and cold in some clients
    Increased control of life
    Decreased pressure sores
    Decreased use of medications
    Decreased health problems associated with a spinal cord injury
    Hope


    Simply stated, in Phase I and II, our goal is to act as your nervous system by manipulating the
    affected areas of the body thereby stimulating sensory input and exciting a motor response.
    We believe this is when clients begin to awaken dormant nervous pathways and develop new
    ones.

    Phase III - Strength - Eccentric/Concentric Contractions

    Phase IV - Function & Coordination  

    Phase V - Gait Training