• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Tailored Workout - Easter Seals Helps People With Disabilities Stay Fit With Specialized Workout Equipment

Posted on: Thursday, 4 November 2004, 12:00 CST

Three years ago Easter Seals at 507 E. Armstrong built its therapeutic fitness center with special adaptive equipment in hopes of attracting youngsters and adults with disabilities, but few have come.

"Frankly, the center is under-utilized," said Julie Matthews, executive vice president of program services.

"We have only four participants now using our fitness facility on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I'm not saying the equipment isn't used much. It's used a lot during the day for our regularly scheduled physical therapy sessions. But more people can be using it for the health center at night. I was hoping we would have 10 to 15 people participating."

There are only two other centers equipped with special adaptive fitness equipment in Illinois. The other two are in Chicago.

The center is intended to increase fitness, strength, endurance and flexibility in children and adults with such disabilities as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down Syndrome and mental retardation. There is a $100 fee for a 12-week session, but no one is denied services because of an inability to pay, according to the Easter Seals staff.

The special fitness center grew out of concerns from families of high school students with disabilities who had no place to exercise.

"The parents were telling us that their children were lacking endurance and fitness," Matthews said.

"Most schools and local health clubs don't have the special equipment needed to accommodate persons with physical disabilities. One of our goals for the center is to get participants to the point that they can transition to regular community health clubs. And we have had three participants do that."

Easter Seals fitness center is not your average gym. It has some $60,000 worth of special equipment, including a free-standing "unweighting system," which can be used over any treadmill to support a person while running or walking.

"The participant wears a vest and is hooked to the unweighting system by chains," said physical therapist Erica Gleason. "With the machine, a client is lifted up and provided full-body support while walking."

Stationary bicycles are adapted with special straps to support a person's trunk, legs and feet. Weight machines are designed so a person can use them while sitting in a wheelchair. There is also a Nu-Step machine that is comparable to a stair stepper but it can be used sitting down. It's also equipped with a rotating chair to make it easier for a person with a disability to get into it. Individual exercise programs are planned and supervised by Easter Seals' physical therapy staff.

Once a week for the past three years, Brett Dorrington, 18, can be found in the center going from one fitness station to the next. From birth, the teenager has had to deal with spastic cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder which adversely affects movement in all of Dorrington's limbs. Though he spends much of his day sitting in a wheelchair, Brett is "all muscle," according to his father, Bill Dorrington.

"There is no fat on him because he stays very active and works out every day in some way," the father said.

"We take a daily walk which he can do with some help and his walker. But the fitness center has been great for Brett. He's gained a great deal of strength from working out there. But he needs the special equipment, especially that treadmill. He really works up a sweat with that. In fact, he had one of his best workouts this week. He did 30 minutes on the treadmill and got it up to 2 miles per hour, which is pretty fast for him."

While some may dread the thought of heading for a health club for an arduous workout, Brett Dorrington looks forward to it.

"It's a nice family atmosphere (at Easter Seals' fitness center)," said Brett Dorrington, a student at Illinois Central College.

"I really enjoy going. And it's been tremendous for me. I'm so much stronger. I've been able to grip my left hand on my walker longer than I ever have. The equipment is very adaptive for kids with disabilities."

But it took time before Brett was seeing significant gains in strength, his father said.

"Brett's very patient and motivated," he added.

"It's a shame more people aren't using the equipment. But I think people give up too soon. If they don't see instant results, they get discouraged and quit."

Brett Dorrington's enthusiasm and dedication are contagious for both staff and participants, Gleason said.

"Brett's extremely dedicated," the physical therapist said. "When he first started coming to the fitness center, he could work out only 10 minutes on the treadmill. Now he's up to 30 minutes."

Exercise and Easter Seals' fitness center play a big part in Brett Dorrington's life.

"Brett sees people every day doing things he can't," his father said. "You can get depressed sitting in a wheelchair for 10 or 12 hours a day. But exercise gets him up."

For years, Easter Seals has provided physical, occupational and speech therapies. And the fitness center's special equipment is used in many of those therapy sessions.

"We see every day how people with disabilities can benefit from this fitness equipment," Matthew said. "We just need to do a better job of getting the word out about our center. We need to be helping more people."

Source: Journal Star; Peoria, Ill.

More News in this Category