“I spent hours in the gym trying to wake my body up.” The challenges and benefits of long-term injury rehabilitation 

Since his spinal cord injury, rehabilitative exercise has become routine for Steve Ralph. Here, he shares his advice on working up a sweat and reaping the benefits.

Anyone who’s seen a physiotherapist after an injury knows the importance of physical rehabilitation. After sustaining a spinal-cord injury a few years ago, I’ve had to embrace rehabilitation and embed it into my lifestyle. And if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that the tricks to getting it right are consistency and dedication to the process.

Spinal cord injuries can differ greatly from person to person and no two injuries are alike. However, one thing we all have in common is the long-term, vital need to maintain a healthy body and strive for improvement.

From the very early days following my injury I was taught the benefits of various types of post-injury exercise and rehabilitation activities. Everything from functional electrical stimulation through to assisted standing and weight-bearing. However, as someone with a spinal-cord injury, engaging in exercise is often challenging. That’s especially true if you have hand-function limitations, which make independent exercise problematic. 

Achieving a sustained, elevated heart rate through physical exercise when a large percentage of your muscles are paralysed can be also tough. Depending on the level of injury, highly adapted exercises become key, as well as finding the right people to help you. You’ve got to be extra organised and disciplined with your exercise program.

In the early months after my injury I was very motivated. I spent hours and hours each day in the gym, trying everything I could to wake my body up. Part of me wanted to believe that I could thaw my frozen muscles through exercise. I knew this wasn’t possible, but regardless, it’s so important to try as much as you can, as early as you can, to maximise your recovery.

I was doing assisted standing, passive cycling for my legs, and as much weights and cardio activity as I could possibly do on my upper body. I was completely exhausting myself for months and months on end, both in hospital and, once I was discharged, at home.

Eventually, my recovery had plateaued to a point where I began to notice less and less strength and functional benefit returning from my efforts. After about a year of this, it was time to create a lifestyle that wasn’t solely about rehab and shuttling to and from physical therapies.

As I made my way back to work and tried to rebuild my pre-injury routine, I didn’t want to completely drop the ball on my recovery. It was a real mental battle of accepting where I was at physically while striving for more, while also trying to keep other areas of my life moving forward.

Thankfully, by building a stable team of support workers and finding some great therapists, I’ve been able to implement a good home exercise routine. I stand multiple times a week and do functional electrical stimulation as part of my daily morning routine. I also work on strengthening and cardiovascular exercises. It’s a great balance that allows me to focus on other things in my life while continuing to get the most out of my rehabilitation.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the program and equipment that I have set up for this, please reach out so we can have a chat. Also know that while you might be in this for the long-haul, you’re certainly not alone.