BENEFITS OF EXERCISE FOR THE WHEELCHAIR-BOUND

Submitted by Jfit.com

A person who is confined to a wheelchair, but has upper-body mobility can perform a range of exercises that are beneficial in reducing the risk of joint pain, fatigue, cardiovascular disease and more. Any person who is sedentary due to a disability should maintain a healthy attitude towards exercise to improve muscle tone, range of motion and optimum circulation. A safe, effective exercise program, suited to wheelchair-bound individuals, will not only improve strength, mobility and circulation, it will also improve skin tone, and bowel and bladder function and sleep habits.

To get started, contact your physician. When medically cleared to exercise, see a physical therapist or qualified health professional to prescribe a program tailored to your special needs.

Make sure not to aggravate your current health condition by pushing yourself too hard or doing too much too fast. If an activity causes pain, stop immediately.

Move your joints through their entire range of motion on a daily basis to keep joints loose and flexible.

Exercise bands are a wonderful tool to perform wheel chair exercises. As you gain strength, adding handgrip weights will increase intensity.

Try to perform the following exercises doing 6-8 reps, 2-3 sets. Start with the red band and work up to the black band. To add intensity tie band to hand grip weights.

ELBOW EXTENSION

a. Tie exercise band to arm rest

b. Elbow bent, palm downward picture here picture with

c. Straighten elbow handgrips

d. Hold

e. Return to start position

f. Repeat with opposite arm

TRUNK ROTATION

a. Tie exercise band to arm rest

b. Elbow at 90 degrees

c. Loop band around palm

d. Rotate body away from side where band is anchored. Picture here

e. Keep body straight

f. Hold

g. Return to start

h. Repeat with opposite side

BACK PULL DOWN EXERCISE

a. Loop exercise band around each palm

b. Arms stretched over head, elbows slightly bent. Picture here

c. Lower arms outward to shoulder height

d. Hold

e. Return to start position and repeat

SHOULDER LATERAL ROTATION

a. Fasten band to arm rest

b. Using opposite arm, with elbow bent and at side,

pull the band across body and out to side. Picture here

a. Hold

b. Return to start position

c. Repeat with opposite arm