Gluteus medius

During our morning classes we were encouraged to talk about how we were feeling about our own patients. One day I complained about one espially difficult problem I had with a young preteen girl. She had a an unusual limp when she walked and I could not figure out what muscle group was causing it. She was brought in during our class and was asked to walk across the room. With a few steps Dr Benet said who can tell me what muscle is weak. None of us new Pts knew. Then it was explained to us that it was the gluteus medius. And that it was very difficult to get a patient to concentrate on that while we were working.

If the gluteus medius is paralyzed is there no other muscle thast can take over. Everyone said no except maybe surgically. From then on, as lomg as I was at Warm Springs I dreamt about that limp and that muscle.

But I forgot I promised to tell about FDR coming. The first night he was there he ate in our dining room. He walked in on the arm of his son and it was evident that it was a huge struggle for him. He sat down at the head table and again struggled to undo the knee braces so he could put his feet under the table. You could hear the inaudible voices in all the patients heads saying ' if he can be president, think what I can do.

He gave a speech. And after dinner he struggled again to do by himself what normally was done for him. He was the best treatment for all the patients and you could see the look in the faces that they were all going to work harder.

We were all introduced to him and he had a few kind words to everyone, patient or staff. I remember he asked me about now being an American.

When he first arrived he got out of the car driven by the secret service people, got into his own convertible Ford, I think, and he backed out, drove up over the lawn and disappeared. He was the only one allowed to drive on the grass. And you could hear him laughing as he fled through the trees.