Adults with Disabilities Benefit Greatly from Physical Activity
Participating in aerobic physical activity can be challenging if you have a disability.
Yet physical activity is something many doctors strongly recommend for adults with disabilities.
Nearly half of adults with disabilities who are able to do aerobic physical activity do not get any, according to a Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An additional 22 percent are not active enough. However, 44 percent of adults with disabilities who saw a doctor in the past year got a recommendation for physical activity.
“Physical activity is the closest thing we have to a wonder drug,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. “Unfortunately, many adults with disabilities don’t get regular physical activity. That can change if doctors and other health care providers take a more active role helping their patients with disabilities develop a physical fitness plan that’s right for them.”
Researchers from the CDC also found that working age adults with disabilities who do not get any aerobic physical activity are 50 percent more likely than their active peers to have a chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, stroke or heart disease. Disabilities can affect a person’s ability to walk, climb stairs, see properly and concentrate, a news release states.
The good news is that most adults with disabilities are able to perform some type of aerobic activity. The benefits include: increased heart and lung function, better performance in daily living activities, greater independence, improved mental health and a decreased risk of developing chronic diseases.
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that all adults – including those with disabilities – get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity each week. For muscle strengthening, health officials recommend activities that are moderate or high intensity and involve all major muscle groups two or more times a week.
People who have disabilities should start slowly based on their abilities and level of fitness. It’s important to remember that most aerobic physical activity may need to be modified but some physical activity is better than none.
Aerobic physical activities may include:
- Aquatic therapy
- Ballroom dancing
- Brisk walking
- Cross-country and downhill skiing
- Hand-crank bicycling
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Nordic Walking
- Rowing
- Seated volleyball
- Swimming laps
- Water aerobics
- Wheeling oneself in wheelchair
“It is essential that we bring together adults with disabilities, health professionals and community leaders to address resource needs to increase physical activity for people with disabilities,” said Coleen Boyle, director of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
+ Learn about the physical therapy programs at Bon Secours In Motion.
+ Read more about aquatic therapy, which can decrease spasms, inflammation and pain, increase patient endurance and strength and improve posture