12 replies to this topic

[kshirk]

Hello all! im a product of not getting enough initial rehab, therefore im trying to work on transferring on my own. im a c-5,6 quad. i push 4 miles every other day but have no idea what exercises are beneficial for muscle strength in the right places. how do you similar quads scoot your butt in and out of your chair? how do you lift yourself without locking out your arms? anybody have videos?

so im desperate. i really want to transfer to improve the quality of my life. any help will be extremely appreciated!

Keith

[In The Wind]

All the usual brother, push-ups, bicep curls, and think about getting a handbike, the wc will tear your shoulders up... I put up a series of me transfering up out of my handbike into my wheelchair over at carecure.

[megatrig]

Hi Kieth

Good topic!

Ok I'm a C5/6 quad/tetra

I am completely independant!

Lots rests on fitness for quads as we only have such a limited range of muscles!!

Also (and this was touched on in "Rise of C5's)

HOW LONG ARE YOUR ARMS AND HOW TALL ARE YOU?

odd question but..........

you can be (as in my case) 5'10" with long enough arms to get a decent pivot and your deltoid muscles with locked out arms give you a few inches to a foot depending on resting head as pivot point to be able to transfer!

Lots of strength building AND then TECHNIQUE!!

The lack of independance I see quads leaving Stoke Mandeville with now due to s..t rehab is amazing!

I''ll ponder this more for suggestions. Ask any questions.

But great to see you wanting to go for it!

If you have a Wheelchair Rugby Team by you go along and train with them.

I played and trained and thats the main reason I am where I am!

Can you sit on a bed

Put your arms by your side and lift?

Leaning forward or just sitting?

kinda hard to phrase this without being able to show you!

[zeta]

You must find a way to work out. I bought a weight machine and with pt found excercises to keep me getting stronger after discharge. I work out three times a week. Transfering takes time to perfect but as with everything else Practice makes Perfect. Just keep trying before long not being able to do it will be a distant memory.

[alyssa]

tricepts are key...

[Doug]

kshirk, on Sep 20 2007, 08:37 PM, said:

Hello all! im a product of not getting enough initial rehab, therefore im trying to work on transferring on my own. im a c-5,6 quad. i push 4 miles every other day but have no idea what exercises are beneficial for muscle strength in the right places. how do you similar quads scoot your butt in and out of your chair? how do you lift yourself without locking out your arms? anybody have videos?

so im desperate. i really want to transfer to improve the quality of my life. any help will be extremely appreciated!

Keith

watch Chris C. getting in and out of bed on you tube...this will help you

[megatrig]

alyssa, on Sep 22 2007, 10:44 PM, said:

tricepts are key...

not necessarily!

I don't have triceps and transfer ok!!

Its a very individual thing!!!

[nomis]

I can't speak from my own experience (I'm para) but yonks ago I was involved with quads in rehab. A big realisation for me was there could be some amazingly athletic outcomes from some people who took years to show promise. It takes some time to learn the balance and confidence let alone the skill and strength. The reason I'm "poaching" in on an area that doesn't involve me is that I recall one guy who was quite frankly a wimp who ended up being probably the most remarkable quad sportsman in the country.

[KimAndSophie]

megatrig, on Sep 24 2007, 06:13 AM, said:

alyssa, on Sep 22 2007, 10:44 PM, said:

tricepts are key...

not necessarily!

I don't have triceps and transfer ok!!

Its a very individual thing!!!

I'm a c6 complete with no triceps and I can transfer alone too. I'm also completely independent (unless someone puts something on a high shelf lol). *cough cough*.... Julian....

[kshirk]

Hi, first i want to thankyou for responding! you seem genuinly happy to lend a helping hand. i know other quads that have conquered the whole independance struggle. they piss me off, not because they are independant, but that whwen i ask them questions or for direction they give me these vague answers that do not help what so ever. like its a big secret. i mean, im not a retard. i kow you need to exercise, work hard, practice, etc., but WHAT exercises and techniques are good to work on.

i am about 5'11" and my arm length is 23" from armpit to palm. to answer your first question. Is that length a little short?

i am able to long sit and sit on the edge of a bed/mat etc. w/ ok balance. when insurance was paying a home therapist, and i was woorking on it, i was real good but my strength and movement was just not there to lift or even roll myself. i have not tried since to roll or transfer.

the one thing i worry about is the "winging" of my shoulder blades. more my right then my left. when i do press exercises with thera tubing, i think i wing and therefore maybe substitute. so when you look at my shoulders when i push, my left side (strongest) has a good deltoid muscle and a good upper armpit pectoral muscle while my shoulder blade stays closer to my vbody. my right side deltoid is massive w/ very little pectoral muscle and my shoulder blade wings alot unless i focus alot. hence possible substitution.

so with that longass description, if i lean forward and try to brace myself with my arms to get my but to lift: 1. my arms just collapse and i fall forward due to lack of strength, and 2. my shoulder blades wing, losing an inch or two of possible lift. now that isnt with locking out. now if i lock my arms out on the frame of my wheelchair by rthe brakes, its like i cant lean forward enough to lean and lift because my locked out arms stop me from leaning forward

I hope all that made sense, especially since we quads have to hunt and pec to type. it took a while to type all that.

any thoughts? what strengthening i can do? would you be opposed to video taping yourself? i know its weird and you have no idea who i am but it may help me to see what you do.

honestly though, any help would be awesome!!


thanks,
Keith

megatrig, on Sep 21 2007, 08:09 AM, said:

Hi Kieth

Good topic!

Ok I'm a C5/6 quad/tetra

I am completely independant!

Lots rests on fitness for quads as we only have such a limited range of muscles!!

Also (and this was touched on in "Rise of C5's)

HOW LONG ARE YOUR ARMS AND HOW TALL ARE YOU?

odd question but..........

you can be (as in my case) 5'10" with long enough arms to get a decent pivot and your deltoid muscles with locked out arms give you a few inches to a foot depending on resting head as pivot point to be able to transfer!

Lots of strength building AND then TECHNIQUE!!

The lack of independance I see quads leaving Stoke Mandeville with now due to s..t rehab is amazing!

I''ll ponder this more for suggestions. Ask any questions.

But great to see you wanting to go for it!

If you have a Wheelchair Rugby Team by you go along and train with them.

I played and trained and thats the main reason I am where I am!

Can you sit on a bed

Put your arms by your side and lift?

Leaning forward or just sitting?

kinda hard to phrase this without being able to show you!

[megatrig]

I'll look at taping myself and posting it on youtube maybe!

I'm not exactly clear on what you mean by some of your terms! But hey ho!

Could you join a gym? Its a bit c..p at times as we are limited to what we can do or use! But the instructors might help with your posture, etc!!??

It is a shame other quads haven't been more helpful!

Its kinda just like every where finding a "decent" person! Wheelchair or not as it were!!

I'll ponder this more!

good luck and just keep at it!

[KimAndSophie]

megatrig, on Oct 8 2007, 02:09 PM, said:

It is a shame other quads haven't been more helpful!

Its kinda just like every where finding a "decent" person! Wheelchair or not as it were!!

I don't think it's that the people here aren't "decent" people! It's very hard to explain exactly how you transfer when it's a completely personal thing and different for every quad. I can transfer myself in most situations, but I don't even know where to begin when explaining exactly how I do it! I'm also pretty sure a lot of people who have transfered themselves forover 20 yrs still couldn't explain it exactly!

[megatrig]

KimAndSophie, on Oct 9 2007, 01:19 AM, said:

megatrig, on Oct 8 2007, 02:09 PM, said:

It is a shame other quads haven't been more helpful!

Its kinda just like every where finding a "decent" person! Wheelchair or not as it were!!

I don't think it's that the people here aren't "decent" people! It's very hard to explain exactly how you transfer when it's a completely personal thing and different for every quad. I can transfer myself in most situations, but I don't even know where to begin when explaining exactly how I do it! I'm also pretty sure a lot of people who have transfered themselves forover 20 yrs still couldn't explain it exactly!

ok ok ok!!

Thats why I put decent in " " 's!!

As it was said other quads hadn't been more helpful!!

I agree its a learning process and we all do it a bit differently!

But it was inferred that some people had been dismissive which was sad.

Bit like asking directions in town and getting told to get lost if you see what I mean??