The Art of Tebowing with MS

Everyone’s doing it. High schoolers are doing it in homeroom. Colleagues are doing it to settle friendly wagers. Grandmothers are doing it in retirement homes. People are doing it at bus stops, in bars, crossing busy streets, on surfboards, in line buying hot dogs at 7-11s, you name it. Heck, even kids just learning to walk are doing it in the living room. Tebowing—the act of getting down on one knee, oblivious to any surrounding hubbub, in solemn contemplation with one hand to the forehead (courtesy Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos)—has swept the country. Few people realize, though, that Tebowing is a tricky art for many people with multiple sclerosis.

See, Tebowing in physical therapy terms is known as a variation of “high kneeling.” And I practice it almost every day. Kneeling on one knee, I put my arms out to the sides, then forward, then above my head. For more of a challenge, I’ll use weights or bands, or even a medicine ball that I’ll pass through my legs and over my head. Then I’ll switch knees and do it all over again. Tebowing works on balance, coordination, and proprioception (helping the body realize where it is in space).

What looks laughably easy, well, isn’t when this disease has given you the smack down. If I tip over, which I always do if I’m working hard, I’ll grab at the back of the couch for support or a well-positioned chair. Fortunately if I fall I’m already pretty close to the carpet, so my failed Tebowing attempts bruise mostly my ego. Whatever. Even though I could not care less about the quarterback or his religious views, I’m still Tebowing, and that’s what counts. Are you Tebowing?