How do you exercise safely and effectively with a spinal cord injury?
Staying healthy requires regular exercise, but individuals with SCI may face additional challenges in finding suitable exercise options.
Blunted heart rate response, low blood pressure, and inability to sweat are just a few of the common symptoms of SCI that must be considered to exercise safely.
Here are some practical tips for maintaining a safe and effective workout routine.
Download a printable PDF version of the Exercising Safely with SCI Infographic or a PNG image to share online.
✗ Don't Use Typical Intensity Indicators
Heart Rate Can be Misleading
People with an SCI above T5 often experience a blunted heart rate response while exercising.
In most people with paralysis, age-related target heart rate "zones" are not recommended.
SCI May Prevent or Limit Sweating
Many people with SCI are unable to produce sweat below the level of injury. Some can't produce sweat at all.
This can be dangerous when exercising since the body is unable to cool itself. It's important to remember that a lack of sweat doesn't mean your exercise isn't vigorous enough, especially when playing adaptive sports.
✓ Better Ways to Check Workout Intensity
Talk Tests (TT)
The Talk Test is performed by checking how comfortably you can speak while working out. If sustained speech becomes difficult, it's a reliable indicator of a vigorous workout.
Talk Test Goal: Exercise hard enough to be breathing heavily, but not so hard that you're gasping for air.
Rating Perceived Exertion (RPE)
Perceived exertion is how hard you feel like your body is working. Pay attention to your heart rate (relative to your maximum heart rate), breathing, sweat, and muscle fatigue.
RPE is measured from 6-20 on the Borg scale, where 6 is "no exertion at all" and 20 is "maximal exertion".
Perceived Exertion Goal: Target the "somewhat hard" category, level 13-15 on the Borg scale.
Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale
Download the Infographic to Print or Share
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References
Goosey-Tolfrey, Victoria L., Hutchinson, Mike, and Sharpe, Lesley. Infographic. Field-based methods for assessing exercise intensity in adults with spinal cord injury. British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Kaupang, Kristin. Get Moving: Exercise and SCI. University of Washington Medical Center.
