How to exercise legs you can’t move
Joe puts his body through more leg workouts than anyone I know, and he can’t even move anything below his stomach.
He sticks to a strict regimen of specifically targeted physical exercises, designed not only to keep his general body in shape but also to keep his legs capable. It may not be immediately apparent, but Joe probably focuses on his legs more than most of us that walk. It’s surprisingly necessary.
Though his mind may not have control over his paralyzed lower half, it doesn’t mean the muscles don’t work. Joe has told stories of other people with spinal cord injuries who, when neglecting their leg exercises and stretching, have experienced spastic leg contractions strong enough to flip them over in a wheelchair. Regularly stretching his leg muscles and working to keep them strong enough to hold his body weight keeps this possibility at bay, and alleviates the need for the prescription drugs that many paraplegics consume to reig in the body parts beyond their nervous system’s control.
One of Joe’s regular exercises includes riding his ‘mechanical bull’ to strengthen his abdominal muscles. The seat bucks and rotates, enough that it took work for me to stay upright when I tried it. It’s definitely more fun than something you could find at the fitness club, but Joe buys the equipment himself. It’s an investment in his future.
The other piece of equipment Joe uses most often looks somewhat like a simplified elliptical machine. But with this machine, Joe is held upright and in place while forcibly pushing his legs in a walking motion. Just the simulation of walking and forcing his legs to support a full bodyweight keeps his legs in shape.
Joe sticks to his workout plan to keep his legs under control. He’s also admitted to a little vanity, that he hates the idea of himself wheelchair-bound with weak-looking legs. But more central to why Joe spends so much time exercising his paralyzed legs is so that he has hope for the future. There are several possible advancements in the future for people with spinal cord injuries. From stem cell treatments to mechanical prostheses, hope seems to be on the horizon. Joe is intent on being completely prepared for that eventuality.
Most people go to the gym out of guilt for the eclair eaten at lunch or to look better out on the beach. Joe buys equipment to use daily in his home and commits to a regimen that focuses on parts of his body he can’t even control. So much for little return right now, but unparalleled returns when the hopes of so many others are realized.
