wildwilly
Moderator

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41298469/ns/health-cancer/

Hi i am a T4 complete paraplegic, i was injured December 6,2008. and i was wondering if i would benifite from using the RT300?

thanks a lot!

Nik

Thanks for responding. I had read where you traveled to learn additional techniques- glad to hear this is improving the crawling benefits.

I do encourage crawling for several reasons (assuming it is performed in a safe manner with proper body mechanics). First, it is a great way to place weight through the arms and legs (close to the ground, decreased fear of falling…). Second, it allows you to focus on trunk control (abs). Third, it allows one to couple the entire body (arms, trunk, and legs). Research has shown that the arms help to activate the legs. Several coordinated patterns between the arms and legs can be attempted in this position. In general, I believe it is a great exercise for strength and conditioning. When done properly you should see improvement in bed mobility, transfers.... I know these may not be the ultimate goal but they are a good measure of improving upper extremity and or trunk strength, both of which are conducive for the progression to walking.

Wildwilly,

Just wondering if you encourage crawling as a therapy? If you do, what do you think it does for the body?

Wildwilly,

You are now a moderator.

Wise.

Hey ww. Thank you for bringing relevance to the Research Forums.

John

Happy Birthday. Wise.