A severe impact to your spine that fractures, dislocates, crushes, or compresses one or more of your vertebrae, which can result in a traumatic spinal injury. But if you think it will leave you with a severe lack of mobility, you might want to reconsider. Doing some spinal cord injury exercises can help you stay fit and healthy.
A recent study looked at whether people with a spinal cord injury could walk and run. International research was successful in regaining muscle movement through artificial nerves in a model of biologically paralyzed rats. Researchers trained a paralyzed rat to walk, kick a ball, and run on a treadmill. In addition, the study team demonstrated the potential future use of artificial nerves for voluntary movement by extracting samples of recorded signals from the motor cortex of walking animals and controlling rats’ legs using artificial synapses. Thus, it turned out that persons with spinal cord injury can run and walk.
Health Shots spoke to Dr Rajesh Kumar, Consultant Orthopedics, Manipal Hospitals, Ghaziabad to find out what types of exercises can help with a spinal injury.
3 types of exercises that can help you with a spinal injury:
1. Stretching
Stretching is important for people with spinal cord injuries to prevent and ease tight muscles and joints. All main muscle groups should be stretched as part of a complete flexibility routine. Your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles should be your main areas of attention because they are often tight after an injury. You can do stretching on your own or with the help of a trainer, therapist, family member, or friend. Even daily stretching sessions can be beneficial for some victims of spinal cord injury. First, spend at least 30 seconds slowly stretching each muscle group. Consider stretching both before and after strength training and cardiovascular exercise.
2. Strength Training
The main muscle groups you can control should be the focus of your strength training.
Strength training exercises include:
* Trunk push-ups
* Cross fit balance work
* Isometric back exercises
*spinal twist
*Lean in all directions
* Lower-Body Twists
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Each person’s muscles will vary according to their injury. Plan to complete each exercise at least 10 times in the beginning (10 repetitions = 1 set). Take some rest. Each set should be repeated once or twice. Strength training is most effective when you push yourself until you need help to complete another exercise.
3. Aerobic Workout
The cardiovascular health benefits of aerobic exercise are immense. Aerobic exercise includes:
* cycling by hand
* rowing
*Exercise in circuit
* swimming
* Wheelchair basketball game.
* Push your wheelchair fast (if you use a wheelchair)
The “talk test” can be used to determine how intense your workout is. The test is quite simple. You should be able to talk, but not sing, when exercising at a moderate level. Also, if you engage in vigorous-intensity exercise, you should not be able to speak more than a few sentences without pausing.
Lastly, if you have a spinal injury, you cannot maintain your fitness with a normal routine. Regular exercise can help you reduce your chances of developing any health problems after an injury. Also, ask your doctor to recommend exercises that are ideal for you based on the condition and level of your injury.
