10 Tips for Maintaining Physical Health in Spinal Cord Injury

By Scihealthhub – October 13, 2024

In this post, we will provide evidence-based and well-researched tips for maintaining physical health in individuals living with spinal cord injury.

But first, let’s be clear: maintaining physical health is not an easy task for anyone. Even for people without disabilities, it’s challenging—much more so for individuals living with a disabling condition like spinal cord injury.

The challenges to maintaining physical health in today’s world include time constraints due to work and family obligations, poor motivation, distractions from social media, sedentary jobs, and financial limitations.

For people with spinal cord injuries, there is the additional challenge of physical limitations due to varying degrees of paralysis.

However, with the right strategies and good planning, people with spinal cord injuries can maintain their physical health, optimize their well-being, and lead fulfilling lives.

What Is Physical Health?

Before we continue, it’s important to explain what physical health means.

Physical health refers to a state of optimal functioning of the body at all levels, enabling individuals to thrive in their daily activities. It involves maintaining the body’s systems—such as muscles, bones, organs, and the nervous system—in good condition through healthy lifestyle choices and other measures.

Good physical health helps prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. But that’s not all—it also empowers individuals to enjoy life and meet the challenges of aging, work, and mental stress.

10 Tips for Maintaining Physical Health in Spinal Cord Injury

We will now share 10 top tips for maintaining physical health in spinal cord injury.

Stay Active with Adaptive Exercises

Regular exercise boosts overall health, including for people with spinal cord injuries. It has many benefits, such as protecting against heart disease and diabetes, improving sleep, lowering blood pressure, reducing muscle atrophy, and enhancing mental health.

During the early stages of spinal cord injury management, a physical therapist plays a key role. They use a combination of exercises, stretches, hands-on techniques, and specialized equipment to help improve mobility and support recovery.

As you prepare to return home, the physical therapist will prescribe safe and effective exercises for you to continue at home.

Adaptive exercises for people with spinal cord injury focus on strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular health.

Here are some tips that can help you choose the right exercises:

Strength Training: Resistance band, free weight, and wheelchair push-up exercises are good examples. They help strengthen the shoulders, upper body muscles, and improve posture.
Stretching and Flexibility: Examples include neck stretches, seated leg lifts, and seated trunk twists. These help prevent contractures and improve joint flexibility.
Cardiovascular Exercise: Activities such as seated cardio punches, wheelchair sports, adaptive cycling, or swimming help boost cardiovascular endurance and maintain heart health.

Doing any physical activity is better than none. The key is to start with what feels manageable and gradually increase the intensity or duration as your body adapts.

For instance, I incorporated some physical activity into my regular routine by taking on small tasks like washing my own underwear and pajamas. This may seem like a simple activity, but it provides a way to stay active daily.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Following a healthy diet is essential for maintaining physical health, especially for people living with spinal cord injuries.

It has many benefits, including avoiding unhealthy weight gain and protecting against diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

A dietitian can help you develop a dietary plan based on your individual needs, but here are some key nutritional tips:

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables: They are rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants, which help lower the risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Eat a high-fiber diet: Fiber-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes enhance bowel function and ease constipation, a common complication of spinal cord injury.
Eat enough protein: Include lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, legumes, and beans. They are essential for muscle repair and preventing muscle wasting.
Eat less fat: Eating too much fats and oils has been linked to increase in the risk of heart disease and stroke. Also, choose healthier fats (unsaturated vegetable oils like olive, soy, sunflower, or corn oil) over less healthy ones (saturated fats like butter, ghee, lard, coconut, and palm oil).
Eat less sugar: Minimize sugary drinks and food. Eating too much sugar increases the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Eat less salt: Limit the amount of salt and high-sodium seasonings used when cooking, cut back on salty snacks, and avoid adding extra salt or sodium-rich sauces to your meals. Reducing your salt intake helps prevent high blood pressure and lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Drink plenty of water: This promotes bladder health, prevents urinary tract infections, and supports proper digestion. Aim to drink 3-4 liters of water daily, depending on the climate where you live.

Prevent Pressure Sores (Bedsores)

Pressure sores are a common complication of spinal cord injury and can significantly impact quality of life.

Preventing them requires consistent skin care and pressure management strategies:

Frequent Position Changes: Shift your weight every 15-30 minutes if you’re sitting, and change position every two hours if you’re lying down.
Cushioning and Support: Use specialized cushions and mattresses that distribute pressure evenly to prevent skin breakdown.
Daily Skin Checks: Examine areas prone to pressure sores, such as the buttocks, hips, heels, and elbows, for early signs of damage like redness or swelling.
Maintain Good Hygiene: Bathe daily with mild soap and lukewarm water, and apply moisturizer.
Manage Moisture: If excess moisture is an issue, use incontinence products and change them promptly to protect your skin.

Manage Bladder and Bowel Health

Spinal cord injury can disrupt communication between the brain and the nerves that control bladder and bowel function, posing significant challenges.

To manage these functions:

Bladder Management: Choose an appropriate bladder emptying method, such as clean intermittent catheterization or a condom catheter. Drink plenty of water, get regular urine tests, and maintain good hygiene.
Bowel Management: Establish a routine to empty your bowels every other day or three times a week. Many people with spinal cord injuries use bisacodyl anal suppositories with or without digital stimulation to stimulate bowel emptying.

Consult a healthcare provider to create a personalized bladder and bowel management plan.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Managing weight is especially important for people with spinal cord injuries, as excess weight can place strain on the upper body and make daily activities more difficult.

Here are some tips:

Portion Control: Be mindful of portion sizes, as reduced mobility lowers calorie requirements.
Low-Impact Physical Activities: Engage in low-impact exercises to burn calories without overexertion.

Maintaining a healthy weight can also reduce the risk of secondary complications like pressure sores and cardiovascular disease.

Prevent Other Secondary Complications

People with spinal cord injuries are at higher risk for complications such as osteoporosis, respiratory problems, and cardiovascular disease.

To prevent these complications:

Bone Health: Engage in weight-bearing exercises and consider calcium and vitamin D supplements.
Respiratory Health: Practice breathing exercises, avoid smoking, and get regular vaccinations (annual flu, pneumococcal, varicella and shingles vaccines).
Cardiovascular Health: Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar can reduce cardiovascular risks.

Prioritize Mental Health

Physical health is closely linked to mental well-being, particularly when living with spinal cord injury.

Addressing mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and isolation can improve your quality of life.

Consider these strategies:

Counseling and Therapy: Therapy can help you process emotions and challenges.
Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Incorporate meditation, breathing exercises, or yoga to manage stress.
Social Support: Stay connected with friends, family, and support groups.

Regular Checkups

Routine medical checkups help individuals with spinal cord injuries maintain overall physical health by detecting any secondary complications early.

These checkups often include blood pressure monitoring, lab tests, bladder and bowel function reviews, and skin assessments. Specialist reviews, such as with a urologist, physical therapist or dietitian, are also beneficial.

These checkups can be scheduled at least once a year, but more frequent visits might be necessary depending on your health condition.

Quit Smoking

Smoking is especially harmful for individuals with spinal cord injuries, increasing the risk of skin breakdown, cardiovascular disease, respiratory infections, and osteoporosis.

Practical tips to quit smoking include:

Set a quit date: Pick a specific day to quit, and prepare mentally by removing all tobacco products from your environment.
Seek medical assistance: Talk to your healthcare provider about smoking cessation programs. Nicotine replacement therapies, medications, or behavioral therapy can be helpful tools.
Build a support system: Let your family and friends know about your plan to quit so they can encourage you along the way.
Identify triggers: Recognize situations that make you want to smoke and develop strategies to avoid or cope with them.
Celebrate milestones: Reward yourself as you hit different goals, whether it’s one day, one week, or one month smoke-free.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Excessive alcohol consumption can impair judgment, interfere with bladder and bowel management, weaken the immune system, and increase the risk of infections and osteoporosis.

To moderate alcohol consumption:

Set clear limits: Know your limit before you start drinking, and stick to it. For many, this might mean one drink per day for women and two for men, but it’s important to consult with your healthcare provider.
Avoid triggers: If social situations or certain environments lead you to drink more, consider limiting your exposure to those circumstances or plan ahead to stay in control.
Seek help: If cutting down on alcohol is challenging, reach out to a counselor or support group to help you manage and maintain healthier habits.

Conclusion

Maintaining physical health requires a proactive and well-rounded approach. By incorporating the 10 tips outlined in this article, individuals with spinal cord injuries can enjoy a healthier and more fulfilling life.