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``Healthy Bones, Healthy Bodies'' Children With Disabilities Need Fitness Opportunities

Posted on: Monday, 8 October 2007, 15:00 CDT

It's all over the news -- America's children, including those with disabilities, aren't getting enough exercise.

There's good reason for concern. With or without a disability, a person who is physically fit has more stamina, strength and flexibility. Shriners Hospitals for Children is committed to improving patients' overall quality of life, including providing information on general health and opportunities for physical fitness.

Raising Awareness

Bone and Joint Decade, which continues through 2011, is a concerted worldwide effort to increase understanding and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries through prevention, education and research. Shriners Hospitals for Children was the first hospital network to publicly support the U.S. effort, which has the support of more than 85 health care organizations, all 50 states, the federal government and more than 70 medical schools. Many of the organizations involved, such as the Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons of North America, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Arthritis Foundation place an emphasis on pediatrics. During U.S. Bone and Joint Decade's National Awareness Week, Oct. 12-20, Shriners Hospitals for Children will work to raise awareness of the need for children, especially those with physical disabilities, to have "Healthy Bones, Healthy Bodies."

Being healthy and having a physical disability are two different things. However, having a mobility-limiting disability can lead to a lack of exercise and additional health risks, including obesity, high blood sugar and high blood pressure, which can lead to cardiovascular problems, as well as osteoporosis.

Shriners Hospitals Can Help

For 85 years, Shriners Hospitals for Children has been a leader in efforts to understand, prevent and treat musculoskeletal problems associated with pediatric orthopaedic conditions and injuries. Most of the 19 Shriners Hospitals for Children that treat orthopaedic problems can provide information and resources to help patients maintain physical fitness. For example, some provide access to a wide variety of adaptive sports, ranging from archery to weightlifting. Adaptive sports offer the same benefits as traditional activities, including enhanced flexibility and balance, increased stamina and strength, and improved self-image and social skills. In addition, Shriners Hospitals are involved in research projects to improve fitness opportunities for children with disabilities. These include a study to determine ways functional electrical stimulation can be used to initiate movement and provide the benefits of exercise for patients with spinal cord injuries or cerebral palsy.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a one-of-a-kind international network of 22 hospitals dedicated to providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burn injuries of all degrees, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for admission and receive all care and services at no charge -- regardless of financial need or relationship to a Shriner. For more information, please visit www.shrinershospitals.org.

Source: Business Wire

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