The author, Mark Schmitt, is a T-12 paraplegic and has worked in the rehab industry for nearly twenty years.
It is amazing that the election of one person can change the direction of the health care reform. I believe that everybody wants health care to change for the better. The issue is, do you go down the road of more government control or changing the structure of health care for the better?
Maybe with the election of Senator elect Brown, the Congress will explore the following options a bit more:
Break up the monopolies and allow all insurance companies to sell across state lines.
Go after non-profit hospitals that are not providing free or discounted health care to the needy as they are required to do under law (No new laws, just enforce the ones we have and close the loopholes if needed).
Take away the anti-trust laws protecting insurance companies.
Use anti-trust laws against health care corporations that dominate a region and do not bargain fairly with insurance companies. Break them up if necessary.
Allow the creation of health care cooperatives that will bring like minded, similar businesses and organizations together to bargain for cheaper health care.
Tie the drug prices to what the Veteran’s Administration currently pays for them (at the best market price available). [click to continue…]
The hamstring muscles are very important muscles for running and walking because they pull our legs back in flexion. The hamstrings (posterior thigh muscles) are made up of three long muscles that start at the bottom of your pelvis extending down the back of your thigh and along either side of your knee, to your shin bones.
If a person is confined to a wheelchair and the muscles are shortened, they pull the lower leg back under the pelvic, and will pull the upper body back. So a person will have more problems straightening out their legs and will have problems leaning forward to bend their hips. This becomes a great problem with wheelchair seating and positioning, because the knees and hips will lose range of motion and the person will sit poorly, increasing the risk for pressure sores and skeletal deformities, creating pain and diminishing the quality of life.
A very encouraging article was publish recently in the International Journal of Rehabilitation, December 2009 where five non-ambulatory children with Cerebral Palsy were put in standing frames for one hour, five days a week, showing significantly lengthened hamstrings over the six week period. They also concluded that they expected to see greater lengthening of the hamstrings or straightening of the legs and better hip ROM, if the children stood for longer times and had consistent standing programs into the future.
When it comes to good health for people with spinal cord injuries there are several basic needs in my mind. A good bathroom routine, daily mental stimulation and a good regimen of exercise, whatever that means to each individual, are a good start. For me, a T-12 paraplegic, that means getting to the gym at least twice per week and supplementing my gym time with hand cycling, golfing, skiing, and whatever outdoor activities I can find. But to make this all possible, stretching is what keeps me going. If I didn’t keep my legs stretched and limber, they would tighten up into a bent knee position that is nearly impossible to get rid of. And this would make my very active lifestyle a lot more difficult to manage. If it wasn’t for my EasyStand, stretching might cost me a lot of time and money at the physical therapist’s office. But now I can simply stand in my living room and watch TV or stand in my office while I am working. And in addition to taking calcium supplements, I depend on standing to help strengthen my bone density as well so there is less chance of breaking any of my already brittle bones while I am out adventuring. So I consider my EasyStand part of my daily routine in hopes of staying healthier longer.
What activities do you do to stay healthy? What are the most important steps to take in maintaining a healthy lifestyle?
In 2009 we celebrated EasyStand’s 20th Birthday, we felt that an important part of this milestone was to share some stories of customers who have been standing for several years.
A few weeks later, I received a story from Mike Savicki, a quadriplegic and veteran who has been standing for over 18 years! How perfect, I thought. Mike has such a great philosophy on life and a strong drive to succeed. He uses his EasyStand standing frame as part of his healthy dedication to staying physically fit. Mike explains how standing fits into his training, “I’m a pretty dedicated athlete and see the crossover benefits of standing in sports such as marathoning, hand-cycling and swimming. My muscles stay stretched and loose and the added benefits of a stronger heart aids in my quickness and endurance. Standing is as much a part of my training as weights, cardio, stretching, diet and nutrition.”
Meet Hope, a little girl with big spirits. Hope has a rare genetic disease called Opitz C Syndrome, but she doesn’t let that slow her down. She stands in the EasyStand Bantam to maintain and improve her range of motion and keep her on track for walking.
We stand for health, inspiration, & independence. The EasyStand Blog brings people of all abilities together to work towards a common goal - living a higher quality of life through standing.
In 2009 we celebrated EasyStand’s 20th Birthday, we felt that an important part of this milestone was to share some stories of customers who have been standing for several years.
