Core exercises for wheelchair users

Manual wheelchair use can be a workout, and core strengthening exercises can help reduce injury risk and promote good posture among wheelchair users.

Research suggests that roughly 3.3 million Americans use wheelchairs. Of these individuals, about 1 million are ages 65 years and older.

According to the National Health and Aging Trends Study, the number of older adults using wheelchairs is growing. And manual wheelchairs, such as push-rim wheelchairs, are the most common form of wheelchair in this group.

Manual wheelchairs engage a range of upper-body muscles, including those of the shoulders, chest, and arms.

The core, which includes abdominal and back muscles, also plays an important role in maintaining posture and balance while supporting the movements that propel the wheelchair.

Although the physical activity required to use a manual wheelchair may itself promote healthy living, it may also lead to overuse injuries and muscle imbalances.

Performing dedicated strength and flexibility exercises can help reduce injury risk, promote endurance, and improve posture for wheelchair users.

This simple movement requires stabilizing the core while performing shoulder mobility movements.

To increase the difficulty, a person may perform this exercise while holding a weight in their hands.

Although this exercise may look like a crunch, by starting in an upright sitting position, it functions more like a seated crunch and glute extension.

Where the forward bends above will engage the muscles of the lower back, adding a resistance band to the exercise can turn it into an ab workout. These elastic exercise tools are widely available for purchase and present in most gyms.

To start, a person should anchor the resistance band at roughly head height and position the band behind the chair.

This mobility exercise uses a lateral twisting motion to promote flexibility of the spine and oblique muscles.

This exercise employs a similar movement to the previous one, but it adds resistance bands to introduce a strength element.

To begin, anchor the resistance band at shoulder height (when sitting).

Millions of Americans use wheelchairs, and wheelchair use among adults ages 65 years and older is growing.

Wheelchairs are a vital resource for restoring mobility and access to individuals with certain physical limitations. But long-term wheelchair use can cause issues such as overuse and muscle imbalances.

Strength exercises, such as core exercises, can help keep the body strong enough to support comfortable wheelchair use.