Any Wheelchair Users?

**doby48** · 10-10-2006, 10:28 PM

Hi everyone, I have been off the forums for a while as I ended up in the hospital with a disease that has now landed me in a wheelchair. I am in Physical Therapy 3x a week which is all the workouts I can do right now. I have very limited use of my legs with a seated calf raise of 13lbs and seated leg press of 33lbs both of which are difficult to do 2 sets of 10. I can only walk very limited distances with the use of crutches but standing for more than a minute or two is not something I am capable of doing.

Anyways, I am just wondering if there are any paraplegics on here or anyone who uses a wheelchair (or has for an extended period of time). I can transfer myself from my chair over to my bench and do anything seated but have a tendance of my lower body sliding off when doing things like bench press because I cant hold myself down. Situps are no longer something I can do for obviousl reasons and am having troubles with decline dumbell press etc. Any suggestions on how I can still workout without falling off the benches? Or maybe suggestions on compound movements that can be done without the use of the legs?

Thanks for any suggestions.

EDIT: I should add that I have talked to my PT and they have suggestions for exercises but they have a wide array of machines at rehab where as I dont have quite the same ones. I know what is within my limits and wont do anything I am not capable of doing. I am just looking for suggestions and I will make the judgement call if it is within my physical limitations or not.

**wascaptain5214** · 10-11-2006, 04:52 AM

good luck to you! you sound motivated to get back in the gym for sure. hope all goes well for you. and welcome back

**zodiac666** · 10-11-2006, 06:44 AM

i helped train one of my buddies who lost a leg in fallujah a couple years ago when he was 19 and he completely changed his body (obviously you are already in pretty good shape) although he can walk pretty well with his prosthetic and luckily he still has his knee joint. people with disabilities like yours who still train their ass off are incredibly motivating. ill just think of you next time im bitching about a slight shoulder injury.

using an incline bench might be easier to stay on, and you can do pretty much the same exercise you can on a flat bench...skullcrushers, flyes, presses...etc if that doesnt help, you could always lay down on the floor although that would restrict your range of motion for some exercises. also im not sure how good the variety and quality of machines at your gym is but im sure you could use most of them and get an excellent workout.

i wish you the best of luck, your definitly an inspiration to all of us here

**doby48** · 10-11-2006, 07:42 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I workout using my home gym where I have a smith rack, hi/low pullys, dumbells, barbells, T-Row and benches for incline/decline/flat. I cant drive yet as we are waiting to see if I will have enough strength and coordination to push the pedals or if I need to get and adapter for my steering wheel to drive so sticking with the home gym is definatly the prefered choice.

zodiac,
I like your idea about the incline that sounds like a good idea, definatly worth trying out. If I cant stay positioned well then I could at least using a wheelchair positioning belt to help hold me in place better but hopefully that wont be needed. The positioning belts wouldnt work very well on a decline and if used on a flat I might end up rolling off the side but hanging in the air if I fall

***Doc.Sust*** · 10-22-2006, 09:59 AM

what is your exact diagnosis and prognosis?

**doby48** · 10-23-2006, 08:05 AM

Diagnosis is GBS.... spent a few months in the hospital, on oxygen etc. Complete paralysis in the lower half of my body and my face. A course of IVIG treatments did not stop the progression and I experienced additional paralysis at which point I was transfered to the Mayo Clinic where I underwent plasmapheresis followed by a month of inpatient rehab.

Currently I'm going to outpatient rehab 3x a week. Prognosis typically for GBS is good expecially if symptoms disappear within 3 weeks of onset (which is not the case for me) but my specific prognosis is unknown as it depends on if and when the nerves repair themselves as I experienced axonal damage. My neurologist says that because of my severe case he will not be surprised if I am using a wheelchair still a year from now still. Basically the sooner you lose all symptoms the better the prognosis is. I no longer have facial paralysis as that luckily is gone but I still have some paralysis in my legs and have complete numbness, no feeling and no sense of hot or cold anywhere except on my neck and forehead. Nerve pain, endurance, lack of balance and proprial reception are major issues as well, and contributing factors to the needing a wheelchair most of the time.

I can walk with crutches for short distances of up to 200ft but it is exasting and requires I rest for a while. If I am sitting and wheeling a chair or working out the endurance issues are not so severe so I am focusing on workouts that do not require me to stand (expecially because of my poor balance).

**stayinstacked** · 10-23-2006, 08:14 AM

is your diagnosis something that can get better over time? Will you eventually be able to walk again w/ rehab?

**doby48** · 10-23-2006, 08:39 AM

It is unknown at this point. I can walk very short distances with crutches but I have some paralisys in my legs still. Many people who get GBS have full recoveries, but many people dont. Its a waiting game to wait and see what happens with nerves healing or not. I am determined to walk with a cane instead of crutches and am hoping by the end of the year that happens. I want to surprise my family on Thanksgiving or Christmas by walking in with a cane instead of crutches. Upper body strength is returning but lower body is not doing very well which is typical for this condition.

The upside is that I was in great physical condition when this all happend (literally overnight). So the therapists and doctors think that is why I am doing as well as I am now, otherwise I might not be walking at all. I was using a walker and went through a period where I was unable to situp or feed myself so I have made some huge progress but part of the recovery includes a quick recovery of some things and then a plateu where the recovery comes very slowely. It looks like I have hit that plateu and alot of it is a waiting game for nerves damage to heal.

**DSM4Life** · 10-23-2006, 09:54 AM

Might sound odd but have you ever tried laying on the bench then using a weight belt to wrap around the bench and your lower body ? Think of it as kind of a seatbelt type thing. My guess is it would secure you to the bench pretty good.

Good luck.

**doby48** · 10-23-2006, 10:08 AM

I havent tried it with a weight belt but I have used wheelchair positioning belts which I do tend to slide to one side or another. It seems to be a bit better if I do incline as I stay a bit more secure. Maybe the weight belt would help a little better to hold me on a flat bench. I will have to give that a try.

**DSM4Life** · 10-23-2006, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by doby48

I havent tried it with a weight belt but I have used wheelchair positioning belts which I do tend to slide to one side or another. It seems to be a bit better if I do incline as I stay a bit more secure. Maybe the weight belt would help a little better to hold me on a flat bench. I will have to give that a try.

Reason for the weight belt is they are wide so i would guess they would help hold you better. Always worth a shot, glad i could help.