Jay’s Story
Meet Jay: Living with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy
Meet one of our amazing Active Ability clients, Jay!
Jay lives with myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD) which has impacted his motor function (including his fine motor skills), muscular strength due to progressive muscle wasting, reduced balance, and reduced cardiorespiratory fitness.
He also lives with a heart condition and restrictive lung disease related to his MMD. The impacts of these conditions have resulted in reduced mobility and physical function which reduces his ability to be independent in his daily life.
Physiotherapy Journey and Goals
Jay has been receiving physiotherapy support from Active Ability on and off since 2022. He has been working with his current clinician Louise since 2024, and has been seen weekly since May 2025 in his current NDIS plan.
When Jay first started physiotherapy, his goal was to get outdoors to walk more often and improve his overall health and wellbeing.
His reasons and motivations for starting physiotherapy included: he wanted to increase upper body strength, improve balance, increase exercise tolerance and walking distance.
Tailored Support for Core Strength
When starting , Jay had difficulty with core strengthening exercises, and it was a big part of his goals to improve his muscle tone and core strength to benefit his balance and walking.
“My physio talked me through and demonstrated the exercises and tailored them to suit my ability, so it made them more enjoyable.”
Building Strength and Independence
Jay feels more active and stronger in himself now, and has been able to maintain his level of independence. His favourite thing about sessions is walking outside.
Jay enjoys physiotherapy. It has become a part of his weekly routine that keeps him active and maintains his independence. One thing he is proud of since starting physiotherapy is that he can complete 15 wall push-ups without a rest!
Great job Jay, keep up the amazing work!
If you’d like to know more about Active Ability’s services, please give us a call or send an email; (02) 8678 7874 or [email protected]
