Tagged with: disability education exercise health Physical Activity Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of chronic arthritis of the spine and the pelvic sacroiliac joints. The inflammation of the vertebrae (spondylitis) can eventually lead to the fusion of the vertebrae, which is called ankylosis. This type of chronic arthritis affects the bones, muscles and ligaments, and is extremely painful.
Some people with ankylosing spondylitis have
Tagged with: accessibility disability Right Fit You can find just about any information you could ever need on the Internet these days. From the technical to the obscure, there are numerous websites for any topic you can think of. This is why it makes good sense to use the Internet for researching the options, styles, and features that you’ll find when looking for new accessible vans.
Tagged with: disability exercise Physical Activity Dr. Bloom and I are working on singing the song “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” from Kiss Me Kate, the musical version of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. One of the goals of singing this song is to get Dr. Bloom’s hands all the way up to his head, as though he is brushing his hair, a play on the words “brush up.”
Tagged with: assistive technology disability health For individuals who are detained to their bed for long periods of time, bedsores can be a very real, and sometimes even deadly problem. Bed sores, sometimes called pressure ulcers, are open sores on the skin that result from prolonged pressure on a bony area of the body, such as the hips, elbows, shoulders, or knees. When left untreated such ulcers can develop
Tagged with: accessible disability family Physical Activity Back in June, my family and I headed to my home in East Tennessee for a week of relaxation with my mom and grandparents. My little hometown of Elizabethton, TN, is full of outdoor opportunities. There are lakes that surround the area, and rivers tie the map together. Outdoors life is part of things in East Tennessee. So we did what we’re supposed to do on any visit there: We booked a trip to go whitewater rafting down the Watauga River.
Tagged with: disability exercise fitness health Physical Activity wheelchair For the last 2 months, I been in full swing in my off-season exercise plan. Thank God! Since rugby season ended in April I always feel as if I
Tagged with: coach disability sports I’ll never forget the first time I heard about Goalball. My high school basketball coach arranged for my team to meet with Jen Armbruster, a member of Team USA Goalball, that won a gold medal at the Paralympics in Beijing, China in 2008. As we walked into a room generally used for the football team meetings, I had no idea what I was about to hear. My basketball coach asked Jen to come speak with us, because we were having
Tagged with: disability health Healthcare Professionals Right Fit We’ve all gotten that standard form letter that contains the dreaded line, “your physician will be leaving.” In my case, the recent letter announced that my physiatrist, Dr. A. would be leaving the region marking the end of a seven-year relationship. The unexpected news caused me to stop and reflect on Dr. A’s role in the development of my walking program. What established the positive working alliance between us? When I originally embarked on my journey to walk device- free, I did not know what a Physiatrist was or what a critical role this specialty would play in my progression.
Tagged with: disability Obesity Physical Activity I was asked to comment on obesity and if it should be considered a physical disability. In our world today, this issue has become a stigma in our culture because of the fixation on being thin or skinny. Many believe that anyone who is not thin or skinny is considered unattractive. Interestingly, if this is truly part of our cultural mindset then this would seem to make many of us unattractive. Regardless, what it does is continue to ostracize and abandon a group of society who are looking
Tagged with: disability health Nutrition Even as a dietitian I find it hard to grocery shop every once in a while. What do I want to eat? What will I actually cook? What is healthy AND flavorful? All of these questions run through my head when I’m on my way to the store. It is on these days that I use my quick and easy meal list which I have memorized over time. It is always a good idea to have a handful of recipes that you can recollect on the spot. This may be even more important if you have a physical disability that causes you to fatigue quickly. You don’t want to be trolling down every aisle to find what you need or to get ideas for your next meal because that is just wasted energy. I invite you to take a peek into my shopping cart and try out some of the recipes I use when I’m stuck in a grocery store rut.
