Staying Active with Mobility Issues & Injuries
Navigating physical fitness when you're dealing with mobility limitations can feel overwhelming, but it's far from impossible. Whether you're recovering from an injury, managing a chronic condition, or living with a disability, there are numerous ways to stay active, maintain your health, and enjoy movement.
Regular exercise and movement are important for people of all abilities including wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility. According to the NHS, regardless of mobility status, adults should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week. Additionally, engaging in strength exercises for at least two or more days each week is advised.
First and foremost, always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise routine.
Getting Started
Make A Good Plan
For anyone embarking on any new exercise routine, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional if you have specific issues, queries, or limitations. For those with injuries, personal training with physios can be particularly beneficial.
Joining classes offers the benefit of professional oversight too. You may be able to find disability-inclusive exercise classes near you.
Slow & Steady
Remember that even small achievements are great for your physical and mental health. Achieving even a few minutes of activity each day will have real benefits and help you to stay motivated.
Try to build activity into your daily habits. Find forms of activity you enjoy and mix things up if you get bored. If you have a few days off, don’t be hard on yourself, just try to start up again.
Warming Up
Warming up is important and will help you to prevent injury. The main objective of a warmup is to increase blood flow throughout the body and raise your body temperature, which in turn helps to loosen the muscles.
An effective warm-up should involve a few minutes of active movements that specifically engage the muscles that will be used during your activity.
Listen To Your Body
If you ever feel uncomfortable with your activity, or especially fatigued, then stop exercising. Don’t exercise parts of your body which are suffering from an injury unless a medical professional has advised you to.
Ideas to Try
Water-Based Exercises
Activities such as swimming or water aerobics provide excellent low-impact options, and lots of people with mobility issues are able to enjoy water aerobics sessions.
The buoyancy of the water reduces stress on joints and offers a supportive environment for movement. People with accessibility requirements can search the Swimming.org Poolfinder.
Seated Workouts
Chair-based exercises are specifically designed to cater to those with limited mobility. These workouts focus on improving strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness while remaining seated. These NHS chair exercises may be a good place to start.
If you've got a long or short term lower limb mobility issue, chair-based exercises are a great option.
Gentle Movement Practices
Flexibility exercises help increase your range of motion, prevent injury, and reduce pain and stiffness.
The gentle yet effective exercises involved in Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates can be adapted to accommodate individuals with mobility challenges. Both Tai Chi and yoga enhance balance, flexibility, and overall wellbeing.
Resistance Training
Resistance bands or light weights can target specific muscle groups and be performed while seated or lying down.
Do what you can. If you have limited mobility in your legs, you can focus on upper-body strength training. If you have a shoulder injury, for example, you can focus on strength training your legs and core for example. This is a useful guide on resistance training for people with physical disabilities.
