Walk This Way

Chris Chappell · 03-18-2003, 11:18 AM

WARNING; This is not an sci related article/commentary but simply an observation and common sense that has to do with our recovery.

My wife read this this morning.

"Most fitness experts agree that an average adult should walk approximately 10,000 steps each day, which is roughly equivalent to the cardio benefits derived from the Surgeon General's recommendation to perform 30 minutes of moderate activity each day."

So, if the average able-bodied person is recommended to walk 10,000 steps why aren't we?

Wouldn't these steps be beneficial to us as well?

Why can't we convince the docs, PT's, OT's that walking is beneficial to the sci sufferer whether in a harness, pool therapy, elliptical, supported treadmill training, etc.?

We all need access to a stepping mechanism / device that allow us this 10,000 step DAILY MINIMUM!

I wonder if we were allowed 20,000 or more steps what types of improvements we might see?

If we want to learn how to walk again we have to PRACTICE WALKING! Could it be more obvious?

Exasperating....

Thoughts? Comments?

03-18-2003, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phebus:

Why can't we convince the docs, PT's, OT's that walking is beneficial to the sci sufferer whether in a harness, pool therapy, elliptical, supported treadmill training, etc.?

I agree with your thoughts on this, but the people you mentioned above don't listen to us like they should. They all look at me like an overly-optimistic 25 year old with no medical training if I ever mention such a thing. I wish I could prove them wrong...

1uncleED · 03-18-2003, 02:38 PM

Phebus,

For what it is worth I agree 100%. I have heard all this talk about people who fly often and how bad sitting is for them for a few hours at a time without stretching. I never hear about this as it relates to those of us who have no choice but to sit most of the time. Got to keep that circulation up, for healths sake.
You nailed it.

Meeker

[This message was edited by 1uncleED on 03-19-03 at 01:19 AM.]

micheleb · 03-18-2003, 05:04 PM

I agree with you and plan to count how many strides we average on the TM or EFX and see how that compares to 10,000 and what we need to do to meet/exceed it and what happens.

Thanks!

JimB · 03-18-2003, 07:59 PM

hey phebus, for what its worth i walk every other day on a gait trainer at the Neuro Institute.

"had a ball, atom bomb"

betheny · 03-19-2003, 07:39 PM

60 seconds = 65 steps on my treadmill at 1.1 mph. If you can stand my fuzzy and very possibly wrong math here-Approx. 1 step per second. 3600 steps per hour. Somewhere around 2 hrs. 45 min. for 10,000 steps.

20 minutes at that speed is redlining for me. Wish I could do it, but I'm nowhere near that bad!

[This message was edited by Betheny on 03-19-03 at 10:47 PM.]

1uncleED · 03-19-2003, 08:30 PM

I checked out the Neuro Gait Trainer today. I am not sure how it is calibrated, but assuming it is mph at .8=41 steps per min. 1.0=51 steps per min. 1.2=62 per, 1.4=70 per, 1.6=82 per, 1.8=90 per min., 2.0=102 and 2.2=112 steps per minute. I didn't start out intending to count so my count started about 40 minutes into my workout. I spent most of the time at around 1.4-1.8
After 80 minutes on the machine I dropped the high (max on this machine of 2.2) and the low (.8) and averaged coming up with a figure of 6093 steps in the 80 minute period. I will count again the next time ( after one day rest) at 1.6 and post the exact amount at that speed. So with this inexact count, 1 hour and twenty minutes on the Neuro Gait Trainer left me short 3907 steps of the 10,000 recommended. By this calculation 111 minutes at 1.8 would leave me 10 steps short of the 10,000. 1.8 is a pretty fast clip and I don't think I would want to go 111 minutes at this speed.
I'm a little tired but my legs feel great. I'm a T12, 9 1/2 years post.

Meeker

[This message was edited by 1uncleED on 03-19-03 at 11:47 PM.]

Chris Chappell · 03-21-2003, 10:41 AM

Good analysis UncleED. I'm interested in hearing your results.

Sounds like we all need approximately 2hrs minimum per day.

How many of us can/will do this?

1uncleED · 03-21-2003, 07:45 PM

Phebus,

I had a light day today but figuring the number of steps specific to this machine, the Neuro Gait Trainer, in 80 min. at the 1.6 setting, the total would be 6560 steps.
More important though, is a point that Larwatson made about needing more of these and similar apperatus including well run accessable clinics all over the country and in every state that was geared toward chronic and acute injuries without differentiating between the two. Exercise for all who
are medically stable!
This might be accomplished in a way that won't depend on waiting for someone taking the initaitive to open a facility like the Neuro Institute by gathering the people in your community who need specialized equipment for productive exercise and putting a little pressure on your local "AB" gym to invest in this sort of thing.
If enough people got together and targeted one centralized gym in any given communinty the owner's just might put in the effort to provide what we need.

Meeker

bruce · 03-23-2003, 02:53 PM

Wow UncleED! 80 minutes at 1.6 mph! That's cruisin'! I'm not familiar with the Neuro Gait Trainer. Are you suspended? Is there any e-stim with it?

Bethany, I'm more like you, I think. I can walk on a treadmill unsuspended now, though I started with a Lite Gait a bit over a year ago. Yeah, 1.1 mph for 20 minutes would push me too. A couple of days ago I did a half mile in 34 minutes, with speeds at up to 1.4, though I can't sustain that for more than a minute or two.

At 1 mph, I do 44 steps in a minute .. I guess because I'm tall and have long legs. At that rate, it'd take me almost four hours to do 10,000 steps. Ouch!

- Bruce

03-18-2003, 11:18 AM	#1
Chris Chappell Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 7,035	Walk This Way WARNING; This is not an sci related article/commentary but simply an observation and common sense that has to do with our recovery. My wife read this this morning. "Most fitness experts agree that an average adult should walk approximately 10,000 steps each day, which is roughly equivalent to the cardio benefits derived from the Surgeon General's recommendation to perform 30 minutes of moderate activity each day." So, if the average able-bodied person is recommended to walk 10,000 steps why aren't we? Wouldn't these steps be beneficial to us as well? Why can't we convince the docs, PT's, OT's that walking is beneficial to the sci sufferer whether in a harness, pool therapy, elliptical, supported treadmill training, etc.? We all need access to a stepping mechanism / device that allow us this 10,000 step DAILY MINIMUM! I wonder if we were allowed 20,000 or more steps what types of improvements we might see? If we want to learn how to walk again we have to PRACTICE WALKING! Could it be more obvious? Exasperating.... Thoughts? Comments?

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03-18-2003, 02:38 PM	#3
1uncleED Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: phoenix Posts: 59	Phebus, For what it is worth I agree 100%. I have heard all this talk about people who fly often and how bad sitting is for them for a few hours at a time without stretching. I never hear about this as it relates to those of us who have no choice but to sit most of the time. Got to keep that circulation up, for healths sake. You nailed it. Meeker [This message was edited by 1uncleED on 03-19-03 at 01:19 AM.]

03-18-2003, 05:04 PM	#4
micheleb Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 17	I agree with you and plan to count how many strides we average on the TM or EFX and see how that compares to 10,000 and what we need to do to meet/exceed it and what happens. Thanks!

03-18-2003, 07:59 PM	#5
JimB Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Awatukee, AZ Posts: 41	hey phebus, for what its worth i walk every other day on a gait trainer at the Neuro Institute. "had a ball, atom bomb"

03-19-2003, 07:39 PM	#6
betheny Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Oklahoma,USA Posts: 18,333	60 seconds = 65 steps on my treadmill at 1.1 mph. If you can stand my fuzzy and very possibly wrong math here-Approx. 1 step per second. 3600 steps per hour. Somewhere around 2 hrs. 45 min. for 10,000 steps. 20 minutes at that speed is redlining for me. Wish I could do it, but I'm nowhere near that bad! [This message was edited by Betheny on 03-19-03 at 10:47 PM.]

03-19-2003, 08:30 PM	#7
1uncleED Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: phoenix Posts: 59	I checked out the Neuro Gait Trainer today. I am not sure how it is calibrated, but assuming it is mph at .8=41 steps per min. 1.0=51 steps per min. 1.2=62 per, 1.4=70 per, 1.6=82 per, 1.8=90 per min., 2.0=102 and 2.2=112 steps per minute. I didn't start out intending to count so my count started about 40 minutes into my workout. I spent most of the time at around 1.4-1.8 After 80 minutes on the machine I dropped the high (max on this machine of 2.2) and the low (.8) and averaged coming up with a figure of 6093 steps in the 80 minute period. I will count again the next time ( after one day rest) at 1.6 and post the exact amount at that speed. So with this inexact count, 1 hour and twenty minutes on the Neuro Gait Trainer left me short 3907 steps of the 10,000 recommended. By this calculation 111 minutes at 1.8 would leave me 10 steps short of the 10,000. 1.8 is a pretty fast clip and I don't think I would want to go 111 minutes at this speed. I'm a little tired but my legs feel great. I'm a T12, 9 1/2 years post. Meeker [This message was edited by 1uncleED on 03-19-03 at 11:47 PM.]

03-21-2003, 10:41 AM	#8
Chris Chappell Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 7,035	Good analysis UncleED. I'm interested in hearing your results. Sounds like we all need approximately 2hrs minimum per day. How many of us can/will do this?

03-21-2003, 07:45 PM	#9
1uncleED Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: phoenix Posts: 59	Phebus, I had a light day today but figuring the number of steps specific to this machine, the Neuro Gait Trainer, in 80 min. at the 1.6 setting, the total would be 6560 steps. More important though, is a point that Larwatson made about needing more of these and similar apperatus including well run accessable clinics all over the country and in every state that was geared toward chronic and acute injuries without differentiating between the two. Exercise for all who are medically stable! This might be accomplished in a way that won't depend on waiting for someone taking the initaitive to open a facility like the Neuro Institute by gathering the people in your community who need specialized equipment for productive exercise and putting a little pressure on your local "AB" gym to invest in this sort of thing. If enough people got together and targeted one centralized gym in any given communinty the owner's just might put in the effort to provide what we need. Meeker

03-23-2003, 02:53 PM	#10
bruce Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: seattle - usa Posts: 854	Wow UncleED! 80 minutes at 1.6 mph! That's cruisin'! I'm not familiar with the Neuro Gait Trainer. Are you suspended? Is there any e-stim with it? Bethany, I'm more like you, I think. I can walk on a treadmill unsuspended now, though I started with a Lite Gait a bit over a year ago. Yeah, 1.1 mph for 20 minutes would push me too. A couple of days ago I did a half mile in 34 minutes, with speeds at up to 1.4, though I can't sustain that for more than a minute or two. At 1 mph, I do 44 steps in a minute .. I guess because I'm tall and have long legs. At that rate, it'd take me almost four hours to do 10,000 steps. Ouch! - Bruce