Exercise and Physical Activity for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries

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Exercise and Physical Activity for Individuals
with Spinal Cord Injuries

• RRTC on SCI Promoting Health and Preventing
  Complications through Exercise
• Funded by NIDRR H133B031114

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Problems with being a couch potato

• Low level of fitness
• Weak Bones (Osteoporosis)
• Depression
• Chronic pain
• Abnormal Blood Fats (Atherogenic dyslipidemia)
• Increased Insulin resistance
• Increased risk for coronary heart disease
• Increased skin breakdown
• Decreased metabolic rate

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Benefit of exercise

• More energy
• Stronger muscles
• Greater endurance
• Helps prevent heart disease
• Helps control body weight
• Helps fight depression

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What is working during Exercise?

• Muscles (movement of arms and legs)
• Heart
• Lungs
• Autonomic Nervous system (automatic control
  system for
• Heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Sweating

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Before Spinal Cord Injury

• Increased activity causes
• Increase IN heart rate
• Increase IN systolic blood pressure and decreased
  diastolic blood pressure
• Increase in blood flow to the heart
• Increase volume of air through the lungs
• Increase blood flow to working muscles
• Increase in sweating

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After Spinal Cord Injury

• Depends on level and completeness of injury!
• Complete vs incomplete
• Above vs below 6th thoracic level

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After Spinal Cord InjuryA closer look

• Muscles (movement of arms and legs)
• Heart
• Lungs
• Autonomic Nervous system (automatic control
  system for
• Heart rate
• Blood pressure
• Sweating

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Types of exercise/activity

• Aerobic Conditioning
• Weight lifting
• Balance activity
• Stretching
• Assisted exercise
• Functional Electrical Stimulation
• Assisted walking

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Aerobic Conditioning

• Improves endurance
• Increases and improves blood flow of the heart
  and muscles being used
• Helps to move air through more parts of the
  lungs, (helping prevent pneumonia)
• Helps lower blood pressure
• Increases circulating HDL cholesterol, (good
  Cholesterol)
• Improves bodys use of sugar in the blood
• Reduce stress

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Weight lifting/Resistive exercise

• Increase strength of muscles and bones
• Improves bodies use of sugar in the blood
• Perform daily task and recreational activities
  more easily

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Stretching

• Helps to prevent injuries
• Improves range of movement to improve performance
  of daily tasks
• Prevents contractures

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Assisted exercise

• Assisted movement
• Functional Electrical Stimulation
• Assisted walking

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Now What?

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Getting stated

• Know you resources
• Find something that you enjoy
• Use the buddy system
• Set a realistic goal
• Start slow
• Make it convenient
• Have fun

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Exercise Prescription

• Type (What to do?)
• Frequency (How often?)
• Intensity (How hard?)
• Duration (How long?)

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Example

• Joe Couch Potato
• Has not exercises since spinal cord injury 5
  years ago
• Works as a computer programmer
• Father of 2
• Enjoys being outside
• Has a complete spinal cord injury at C7

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Things to remember with exercise

• Autonomic Dysreflexia
• Bumps, bruises, blister
• Pressure reliefs
• Nutrition

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Prevention is Key

• Use proper technique with exercise
• Be aware of shoulder problems
• Do NOT over do it
• Pay attention to the weather
• Wear a helmet!!!