Category Archives: Lifestyle

You may find it harder to sit up straight at the table. You may notice a certain crookedness when glancing in a mirror or store window. The lower back pain or forward lean seems to have gotten worse over the past year. Or your back just seems constantly tired. These symptoms all point to postureContinue reading “Posture”

Although there are many questions raised when faced with an aging or disabled family member, one important question is whether a home can be adapted for a mobility device. Many families may decide it is easier to move. Before taking that step, however, read Cynthia Wilson’s article, “How to Remodel for Accessibility.” Wilson interviewed ToddContinue reading “Remodeling Your Home for Accessibility”

You already know that a spinal cord injury causes an impairment of the muscles involved in breathing – the higher the injury, the greater the impairment. That’s strike one. The fact that smoking is harmful to your lungs is hardly news. Still, that’s strike two. How smoking affects your lungs – just what happens whenContinue reading “Smoking and Lungs, Skin, Bladder”

For many SCI survivors, recapturing independence is your single most significant achievement. You view any concessions to that independence – accepting more help, using more or different equipment – as giving up, as failure, as the ultimate defeat. But it’s hard to deny the fatigue and pain that may come from years of pushing aContinue reading “Switching to a Power Chair”

When limited by an injury or disability, individuals tend to lead inactive lifestyles. There’s good news, however! Even if you are limited by your mobility or use a motorized wheelchair or electric scooter, there are still ways to be active and live a healthy life. According to the article “How to Exercise if You HaveContinue reading “The Benefits of Exercising, Even with Limited Mobility”

By Barry CorbetReprinted with permission from New Mobility Magazine Doing housework from a wheelchair is possible. It is not practical. Nonetheless, some of us insist on doing it. For all you masochists out there, there are ways and means. To make household chores more approachable, I suggest dividing them into three categories: what you can’tContinue reading “The Keeper of the House”

Don’t let limited mobility stop you from traveling. There are many places in the world that are handicap accessible for scooter users and power chair users. With a little research and planning, your trip abroad will be one to remember. Don’t know where to start? Check out this article from the Zebra, “Travel Tips forContinue reading “Travel Tips for Scooter and Power Chair Users”

For 20 years, Tom had “no aches, no pains, no nothing.” Why was his luck changing now? Maybe his shoulder pain started because his new van didn’t have power steering, or maybe it was because he was doing a lot more wheeling on carpet. Regardless, now his shoulders hurt. Thinking that the pain might goContinue reading “Upper Extremity Pain”

So you gained five pounds in the last year; no big deal. It’s probably not enough for anyone to notice. But think about it: What’s five pounds a year? It’s twenty pounds in four years. Fifty pounds in ten years. One hundred pounds in twenty years! Were you planning to be around in twenty years?Continue reading “Weight Gain: The Battle of the Bulge”