Amputee Fitness Visiters
Hi there Visitors. I have been an upper extremity amputee for over 19 years. My secret to cope with things and stay afloat and positive in life is exercising. By staying fit you will enjoy tremendous amount of fulfillment and a huge boost in your confidence apart from the health benefits. I build Amputee Fitness to encourage all the amputees out there to exercise, get fit and enjoy a happy and fulfilled life. So if you out there staying active, I’d appreciate it if you join me and encourage our fellow amputees to get off there behind and get fit. If you have any tips or suggestions that other amputees could benefit from, please leave a comment.
Hi. My name is Erin and I am a personal trainer in Boston. I’ve recently acquired a new client who is an upper extremity amputee (from the elbow down). She does not have a prosthetic, nor does she want one and one of her fitness goals it to achieve some sort of balance in her upper body…which I know is muscularly impossible. Other than simply doing range of motion exercises I was wondering if you had any good ideas of how I should go about adding resistance? Any help would be great!
Erin
Hi Erin, thank you for your question. Sorry it took me a while to respond. One thing that has worked for me really well is the resistance band. I have a valcro strap that wraps around my arm. I connect the strap to the resistance band with a clip on. The versatility of the band allows me to do all kind of resistance workouts. I hope this is helpful.
Hi Erin, one more thing I forgot to add. Using the strap on a bare skin will hurt a lot. I have a cast that is made of a leather with some padding from inside. I wear the cast every time I work out. It prevents injuries.
You could also use a cuff (wraparound, velcro closure)weight on the amputated arm – and see if your trainers professional association has any resources for exercises for clients with various disabilities. If they don’t, they need to get them – as a PT, I often refer clients to the local Y or fitness club – they should be able to get the help they need!
I am an Upper extremity amputee (Left arm, from the shoulder). I used to attend the gym 3 nights per week for body building routines and train cardio the other two nights. Since an accident that left me with one arm, ive found the only effective training I can do is lower body, as if I push myself with upper body exercises, using gym equipment, I risk hurting my back, shoulders and neck. Do you know of any equipment that would help stop my body twisting under the added weights and stress of different upper body exercises?