Like any other person, a wheelchair user can benefit from stretching regularly. Whether doing so to ease muscle cramps and pain or just wanting to extend your physical abilities for many more years, stretching plays a vital role in ensuring that you are in the best shape of your life.
Research studies conducted over the years have shown how beneficial stretching is. It is pivotal in helping to improve flexibility and in so doing increase the range of motion of your joints. Thus, better flexibility improves performance in physical activities.
It also decreases risk of injuries, enable muscles to work effectively, helps joints move better through range of motions and increase blood flow to muscles.
Let us break it up a bit more:
Avoid Muscle Pain
Stretching ahead of physical activity will help you overcome potential muscle tears or strains. This normally occurs because of repetitious movements such as pushing self-propelled wheelchairs. Apart from that, stretching is in general an essential part of any person’s exercise schedule.
As pushing your wheelchair is in fact also a form of exercise, it is important to make sure that you prepare your body and maintain it in order to do so. Thus, one of the benefits of stretching is to help prevent muscle injuries.
Protects Joints
Stretching is also excellent for your joints. It prepares your body by warming it up before you start your strenuous daily routine of pushing your wheelchair. No matter the type of disability you suffer from or how mobile you are, if you stretch for about 5 – 10 minutes a day, you can help your joints stay protected for longer.
If it is difficult to stretch or you are unable to, then calling the help of a family member or a health professional can help you get prepared properly for your exercise routine.
Enhance Physical Abilities
It is needless to say that stretching itself is also a form of exercise. So if you stretch regularly you enhance your physical abilities for the long run. Another great benefit of stretching is that you are preparing your body for greater adaptability and thus greater responsiveness towards taking on a bit more of a difficult challenge.
For instance, if you would like to push yourself up a big hill, you may notice that you don’t get as tired (meaning muscle tiredness) as, if you didn’t regularly prepare your body by stretching.
Improve Circulation
Stretching also helps with blood circulation. This is especially important if you are disabled and confined to a wheelchair because your blood flow and veins receives a major boost. This ensures that blood flow to the various important areas of the body is assisted.
What this also means is that stretching can slow down or postpone the formation of bedsores entirely on the skin area that is under increased pressure.
Overcome Constantly Sitting Complications
One thing that is easily overlooked by wheelchair users, is that the body is not designed to constantly be in a seated position for long periods of time. Thus, you can help your body further by taking it a step further.
Stretch while on your bed, and while doing so make sure that your legs and torso are completely stretched to their maximum. In this way you are helping yourself lessen the discomfort you might feel from being in a seated position daily.
Reduce Stress
Because stretching pushes more blood through your body, including to your brain, this results in a calmer and more peaceful you. Not only will you feel refreshed, but you will also have elevated levels of energy. The more you stretch, the less tense your muscles will be, helping you overcome muscle tightness.
Before you embark on a stretching journey, make sure that you can do it safely. Although you can stretch anywhere and anytime you feel like, maintaining proper technique is important. Please be aware that incorrect stretching can lead to injury.
