Physical activity after a spinal cord injury
After a spinal cord injury regular physical activity can have a big impact on improving your quality of life, independence and function.
Being active not only helps us feel fitter, healthier and more energetic, but it also helps reduce the risk of developing serious health conditions like diabetes and obesity. It can help our blood circulation, improve our sleep, reduce spasms and help pain relief. In addition to the many physical benefits, moving more can really boost our wellbeing too. Regular exercise can relieve anxiety/stress, help make those daily tasks more manageable, improve our confidence and self esteem.
This video ‘benefits of physical exercise for spinal cord injuries’ was created in 2023 alongside some updated exercise guidelines, information and advice to support you to be more active following a spinal cord injury.
ONLINE Guidance about exercise
We also understand that there can be many barriers to taking part in exercise. It could be not knowing what’s out there, or not having the time, not having accessible facilities near to your home, or maybe even the cost of the equipment you need to take part in a particular sport. Created by the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at Loughborough University, the link above will help answers some of those questions:
What should I aim for each week?
There are plenty of ways to exercise with a spinal cord injury, and you don’t have to go to the gym or join a sports club to enjoy the benefits. Everyday tasks around the house, and things like pushing your wheelchair around the garden are a great place to start. The infographic below was produced by Sheffield NHS, WheelPower and Loughborough University as guidance to what you should be aiming to do each week:
Exercise and spinal cord injury
Despite the numerous benefits of exercising there are a number of considerations that people with a spinal cord injury should know before you sign up buy some equipment, sign to a class, or join your local sports club:
- When you have spinal cord injury it is much harder for you to burn off calories as effectively as someone without paralysis. The major factor is the loss of muscle mass because muscle burns calories even when your body is at rest. So for a person with spinal cord injury, your resting metabolism can be as low as half that of a person without a spinal cord injury.
- Your heart rate is not as responsive to increased exertion and your chest muscles may not be able to expand as efficiently which makes breathing difficult.
- You may find that your blood pressure is reduced as blood tends to pool in the legs of person with spinal cord injury, reducing blood flow back to the heart.
Before you start exercising
- Discuss your exercise plans with your doctor or rehabilitation team, who will ensure that it is appropriate for you and will not cause you any harm. Be sure to inform them of any medication you are taking so that they can take into consideration the effects of the medication when assessing your exercise regime.
- Make sure your body temperature is stable. While you exercise your body temperature may fluctuate for no apparent reason.
- Don’t exercise if you are feeling ill, and that includes having a bladder infection, pressure sore or unusual spasticity.
- Look after your shoulders! Your shoulders are at greater risk of overuse injuries. So avoid doing the same activity every day, and mix it up. Building up slowly and gradually will make sure your body has time to adapt to your activities. You should feel a bit of muscle soreness but not pain. Make sure you have at least one rest day a week.
- Autonomic Dysreflexia – if you have spinal cord injury at or above T6 it is important to be aware of Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD) This is a sudden increase in blood pressure and altered heart rate. Find out more
SIA have an informative factsheet that provides more information about diet, nutrition and some examples of some simple exercises you can do to get started:
Sport and activity
There are many sport and activity opportunities out there for people with spinal cord injury. So whether you want to join a local club, meet up with friends for a casual game, or are thinking about taking sport to a professional level, its important to know where to start looking.
Active Partnerships – Wherever you live in the England you will have an active partnership who will be able to support you with information on local organisations and clubs. Alternatively contact Disability Sport Wales or Disability Sport Northern Ireland.
WheelPower – The national charity for wheelchair sport are based at Stoke Mandeville and support people of all ages with a physical disability to enjoy the benefits of movement, activity and sport. They have online resources, zoom classes, and host many events to introduce you to sport. Including the flagship Inter Spinal Unit Games for newly injured patients to try up to 25 different sports during a week long residential event at the birthplace of the Paralympics.
EverybodyMoves is an online website and search tool that can help you locate classes, clubs and activities in your local area. Just put in your postcode and see what is available to you. The site is powered by Toyota and created by ParalympicsGB.
National Governing Bodies – If you know what sport you would like to do then contact the governing body directly. Here are some of the many NGBs who are delivering disability sport across the UK: British Wheelchair Basketball, GB Wheelchair Rugby, LTA, British Swimming, British Fencing, Boccia England, PaddleUK and British Weightlifting.
Exercise at Home
No matter where you live, or what the weather is doing outside there are lots of ways to remain active from the comfort of your home. Enjoy a FREE live zoom sessions from WheelPower or check out Ella’s Wheelchair Workouts and Adapt to Perform on YouTube. The classes and videos are delivered by coaches with spinal cord injury and are made for you. They are not only a good workout but are also fun, inclusive and an excellent addition to your weekly routines. Also make sure you APPLY for a set of Resistance Bands from WheelPower. FREE to anyone with a spinal cord injury in the UK, and great for improving your strength.
