Jun 29

Considering that most of us learned to walk approximately a year after being born, you might make fun of the idea that you might need to take a refresher on proper walking. We should be experts on walking by now. However, the truth is, over time, people can get walking habits and patterns of movement that are not well organized or essentially unhealthy.

Walking is so natural to us that it is frequently prescribed without hesitation. All adults, regardless of age and health status, are advised to walk vigorously for a total of at least two and a half hours per week.

For adults who are in good physical shape, walking is a routine that it is impossible to consider how they learned how to do it. However, it is likely that as we have logged pedestrian miles, many of us have picked up a small number of dreadful habits along the way that are making our walks less efficient, and maybe even harmful.

Ideally, by adulthood, you should walk with head erect, back straight and upright, arms bent, knees extending and flexing, feet striking the ground with the heel and pushing off with the toes. The pelvis should rotate back and forth about 8 degrees and list a little downward on the side that is not bearing weight. The knee of the weight-bearing leg should flex as you push off our toes. Moreover, while you bob up and down a little when you walk, the pelvic rotation and list, in combination with the movements of the knee, ankle, and foot, manage to smooth out that vertical movement.

Our upper bodies also get into the action. At reasonable speeds, rotation of the trunk and shoulders should be out of phase with the pelvis. Consequently, the forward swing of one leg is matched by the forward swing of the arm on the opposite side, a balancing act clearly visible in the overstated movements of a marching soldier.

Regrettably, only a few of us accomplish the ideal gait, and even fewer uphold it. Eventually, we may lower our heads and thrust our trunks forward at the waist, so our center of gravity is pitched as if we are always about to tumble forward. Instead of swinging elegantly, our arms may dangle lethargically at our sides. The rhythmic heel-to-toe movement may become a smack on the pavement.

Tips on Walking the Right Way:

It is doable to correct decades of ingrained walking habits with a little work. Actually, even if you do not think your gait is graceless, you might gain something from the following tips:

1. Look ahead. Lift up from the top of your head. Do not tuck your chin or look at the ground, but train your sights 10 to 20 feet ahead of you. If you need to check the ground to avoid obstacles, lower your eyes, not your head. An erect head reduces the likelihood of neck and shoulder pain.

2. Stretch your spine. Your shoulders should be level and square, neither thrust back nor slumped forward. Tuck your buttocks in. When your body is in alignment, you should be able to draw an imaginary straight line from your ear to your shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle when viewed from the side. Maintaining correct posture while you walk will help you to avoid hip and lower back pain.

3. Bend your arms. Flex your elbows at close to 90-degree angles and let your arms swing at waist level. Your fingers should be curled, but not clenched in a fist. If you have gotten into the habit of dangling your arms, it may take some conscious effort to keep them raised.

4. Swivel your hips. A slight pivot at the hip can add power to your stride.

5. Flex your feet. Come down on your heel; lift up off your toes. Assume that the person walking behind you wants to see the sole of your shoe as you walk.

6. Take measured steps. Too long a stride throws you off balance. Concentrate on taking shorter steps, but more of them.

7. Share your load. There is a lot to be said for carrying parcels on one’s head; any load on the back or shoulders is likely to affect posture by thrusting the trunk forward. A backpack, which distributes weight evenly across the shoulders, is the best choice for carrying objects. If you use a shoulder bag, transfer it from one side to the other every few minutes as you walk.

Jun 28

If you are struggling to keep your body clean when you have restricted movements due to a disability or injury, then you might be able to make more out of DoAbility’s special brushes.

The Back Brush Reach helps get those hard to reach places on your back when in the shower or while bathing. It is made of plastic with a sturdy grip handle. Its special construction gives you secure leverage as you scrub away. The extra-long curved handle makes it easier to clean those hard-to-reach places on your back. Its bristles provide just the right degree of friction for a thorough, invigorating scrub.

The Body Brush Reach comes with a long, plastic handle also for those hard to reach spots. It has been ergonomically designed for superior massage leverage while bathing. Regular scrubbing is important because it unclogs pores allowing skin to release toxins trapped inside the body. A plush matting of natural bristles gently exfoliates and stirs up circulation, while the deluxe long-reach handle gives you a helping hand to get at those hard-to-reach places. Body brushing is used by many health professionals for acupressure therapy.

The Hair Brush Reach is an ergonomic extender for your daily hair care. It is approximately 14 inches long and is made of plastic as well. With the Hair Brush Reach, you can brush your hair with ease. It features a lightweight, comfortable handle that enables you to groom your entire head without any pain or discomfort. It is perfect for people with limited arm, back, shoulder, or hand mobility.

If you suffer from arthritis, the Extension Comb Reach is an ingenious long reach comb that lets you groom your hair without moving your shoulder or lifting your upper arm. It also features a lightweight, ergonomic comfort handle that enables you to groom your entire head without any pain or discomfort.

Let us see how they work:

Jun 20

There are a few conditions that are disheartening and tragic as cerebral palsy, but there is nothing more heartbreaking than a child struggling with the dreadful disease.

Cerebral palsy is a group of diverse conditions that cause varying levels of motor and sometimes mental dysfunction. Most children who suffer from cerebral palsy experience difficulty performing simple functions such as moving, speaking, and eating due to damaged nerves, tendons, muscles, and bones. There is also an increased chance of mental retardation in children who have cerebral palsy.

Unfortunately, there is no way to project whether or not a child will suffer from cerebral palsy. Even though there are certain controllable variables during early stages of pregnancy that can predict a possibility of cerebral palsy, most of the situations that may cause a child to develop this devastating and life-changing condition occur just before or during childbirth. An experienced and vigilant obstetrician can address a large number of these problems. Nonetheless, a moment’s distraction, clumsiness, or hesitation can inflict a lifetime of misery on a child and their parents.

On the other hand, with proper therapy, many people with cerebral palsy can still lead normal lives. Even those with very severe disabilities can improve their condition significantly, even though they will never be able to live independently.

Approximately 25% of children with cerebral palsy have mild involvement with few or no limitations in walking, self-care, and other activities. Approximately half are moderately impaired to the extent that complete independence is unlikely but function is satisfactory. Only 25% are so severely disabled that they require extensive care and are unable to walk.

Of the 75% of children with cerebral palsy who are eventually able to walk, many rely on mobility equipment. The ability to sit unsupported may be a good predictor of whether or not a child will walk. Many children who can sit unsupported by age 2 years eventually get to walk, while those who cannot sit unsupported by age 4 years probably will not walk. These children will use wheelchairs to move around.

People with milder forms of cerebral palsy have the same life expectancy as the general population. Those with severe forms of cerebral palsy typically have a shorter life span, especially if they have many medical complications.

Some studies have found that abnormalities of muscle tone or movement in the first several weeks or months after birth may gradually improve over the first years of life. In one study, almost 50% of very young infants thought to have cerebral palsy and 66% of those thought to have spastic diplegia outgrew these signs of cerebral palsy by age 7 years. Many children do not manifest full motor signs that are suggestive of cerebral palsy until aged 1-2 years. Thus, some propose that the diagnosis of cerebral palsy should be deferred until the child is aged 2 years.

There are many cases of children with cerebral palsy who grow up to have a normal life. Although this is possible, it is surely not an easy feat. To bring positive change in the condition of children who have cerebral palsy, they would have to undergo several therapies and would also have to be given special attention in schools.

Every child with cerebral palsy may need a different kind of therapy, according to the severity of the disorder. Teaching and training a child with this disorder is not a single person’s job. The major contributors in this case are the parents, who have to first cope with the fact that their child is different from others. It also includes the combined efforts of the physical therapist, doctors, special education teachers, and psychologists.

Physical therapists help children with cerebral palsy in developing simple motor skills. Physical therapy helps them in learning how to walk with their braces, as well as to stand and move around without help. They may also be taught to kick a ball and to ride a bicycle, provided the disability allows.

In addition to this, enrolling children in special schools will also do well with their development. Teachers at special schools are trained to teach children with disabilities. Teachers of special children are expected to show great patience with such children. In special schools, every child is given individual attention and the curriculum is also planned so as to cater to their individual needs. All this helps to develop the child’s abilities with a view to foster his independent / near independent functioning at a later stage.

Some children with cerebral palsy are capable of attending mainstream schools with normal children of their age. A teacher who has such child in her class need not change the whole curriculum, but needs to deal a little differently with the disabled child. One should understand that the child is not like the other kids and may take a little more time to understand or respond to what is happening in the class. However, they should not be treated very differently. These kids should not be judged only by their disability, but should be encouraged to think and participate in the activities of the class. It has been observed that children who attend regular schools from a very young age, show great improvement. It is also good for the other children in the class because this will develop feelings of compassion towards individuals who are different from them.

One very important thing to remember is that children with cerebral palsy may have a disability but that does not make them weak or incapable. Giving them training and teaching them skills to be independent from an early age would surely prove beneficial. One must keep in mind that children born with cerebral palsy are differently-abled kids, who have every right to live a normal and successful life.

For the latest mobility tools and equipment in helping your child cope with cerebral palsy, visit DoAbility UK.

Jun 19

This walking frame for kids, which is made available by DoAbility UK is made of steel tubes, lacquered with a blue and red strong powder coating. It is furnished with four wheels and a removable sling seat. The sling seat is furnished with Velcro closings on both sides, which makes it easier to adjust the size. The sling seat is pinned on the waist ring by strong push buttons.

Suitable for both mobility and therapy purposes, the walker is extremely flexible and adapts to the individual needs of most children, with its multiple adjustments and posture support.

With its standard features alone, it will easily support a child with mild to moderate physical disabilities.

It is designed to make walking less energy consuming, while improving rhythm and timing.

Nevertheless, it is very important to have the frame at the correct height. If it is too high, your child will find it difficult to straighten out their elbows sufficiently and will not take enough body weight through their arms. If the frame is too low, it will encourage your child to bend over, resulting to poor posture.

The most effective way of ensuring the frame is at the correct height is for your child to wear their regular, supportive footwear and be measured by their physiotherapist.

Regular maintenance of walking frames is essential to ensure safety. Checks should be made for signs of wear and tear, particularly at the site of screws and height adjustment mechanisms.

For the best information on the latest walking frames for kids, visit DoAbility UK today.

Jun 13

Pain is a common health problem, which afflicts one out of every two to three people around the world at any given time. However, even though acute and chronic pain can both be debilitating, chronic pain is one of the major causes of mental and physical disability, commonly misdiagnosed and inappropriately treated.

Pain sufferers frequently feel frustrated and depressed and consider their lives as an endless misery.

Pain is an unpleasant, emotional, and sensory experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.

Pain is not a just a mere perception or a one-dimensional entity but a multidimensional complex problem with many attributes. Acute and chronic pain can happen to any person of any age or gender.

Chronic pain is a multifaceted medical problem than affects all aspects of a person’s life. Patient involvement and education are important components of a pain management program.

We know that there are physiological shifts in chemicals that bring about some changes in the nervous system and the brain. This in turn leads to changes in the neurotransmitters that perpetuate the pain. We feel in some ways that the nervous system can only generate pain instead of the usual mixture of discomfort and pleasure. And we are not really sure why this happens to some people and not to others, although, we know for sure that emotions and stress play a role in this.

Most experts define chronic pain as pain that continues beyond two months. In actuality, chronic pain is determined more by our response to pain.

When most of our waking hours are spent trying to control or endure the pain, when we cannot work any longer because of it, when our relationships are torn apart by the stress of it, we have developed the chronic pain syndrome.

Patients are often frustrated with the way doctors treat them. Nevertheless, they need the expertise of a doctor to make the right decisions regarding treatment.

The first thing you need to find out on your way to recovery is to find out what kind of pain you have and to find the right health care provider.

A physician who has a comprehensive knowledge of pain and empathy would be the best choice. Many specialists are well trained in techniques of pain treatment, but if they do not really understand what you are going through as a person, you are missing out on a vital element in your recovery.

Once you have found the right health care provider, get your pain under control. Get into physical rehabilitation to recover your functional abilities. If need be, utilize some support aids.

Use some type of communication therapy, like counseling or group therapy, to help you get over the emotional scars left by the pain.

Then, get back to work or at least go back to doing the things you used to enjoy.

Jun 6

For people beyond their 50s, aging gracefully is often a challenge. While bones and muscles begin to deteriorate as we grow older, these have more to do with inactivity than aging.

Usually, at this age, people change in lifestyle and they start spending more time at home or under the close supervision of caregivers. Thus, the consequences are rapid muscle deterioration and increase in fat deposits.

Unexpectedly, cardio exercises alone are not as successful in older people as compared to those who are still at their prime. Once we reach 50, we must combine exercise with a balanced diet. An ideal combination of cardio exercises and healthy meals will make sure that we maintain flexibility of muscles and slower weight gain.

Unless you are stuck on a wheelchair, you should try to have an active lifestyle by doing some simple activities. Gardening, playing golf, or walking regularly are some of the easy ways to keep you active.

A good and balanced diet is important for all age groups. You cannot remain fit and fat free unless you take proper care of what you eat. Go for nutritious, fiber rich food as much as possible. Avoid eating fast food and junk food as much as your grandchildren should.

You can easily stretch yourself whenever you get the time. Simple activities help a lot in maintaining flexible muscles and strong bones. Even if you have limited walking abilities there is always a way round that. Proper walking equipment, like the ones available at DoAbility, can you help in getting you active again.