• Home
  • ABOUT VAN PRODUCTS
  • Contact Us
  • About Van Products

    At Van Products, we are in the business of allowing our customers the opportunity for freedom of independent living through custom mobility products and accessories.

  • Follow Us On

  • Home
  • About Van Products
  • Contact Us

Wheelchair Tai Chi: A Fun Way to Stay Healthy

February 24, 2011

While it is common knowledge that physical exercise is a crucial component of overall well-being, physicians have a hard time convincing patients to take action. It is difficult to self-motivate, whether able bodied or mobility impaired, to exercise in the midst of life’s busyness.  We know there are a number of challenges to beginning a physical fitness plan: hesitation at the discomfort, transportation obstacles, and difficulty accessing the building and equipment.

Dr. Zibin Guo, a medical anthropologist in The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, believes that the answer to these set backs is simple: Tai Chi.  Dr. Guo says appropriate and interesting exercise is often not available to people with disabilities, but “physical inactivity often further deteriorates the general health condition for these individuals, and it also tends to make them more reliant on professional medical care rather than taking a proactive approach by engaging self-care, including medications to deal with their health issues.”

 

In an effort to combat that challenge, Guo has a fresh idea: wheelchair Tai Chi. Tai Chi is one of the ancient Chinese martial arts, a noncompetitive self-paced system of gentle physical exercise that Guo has adapted for wheelchair-dependent individuals in the U.S. and China.

Participants can improve their physical and mental health using his holistic approach.  Guo’s technique is benefiting people in Chattanooga, such as a 70-year-old woman who suffered a stroke seven years ago leaving her partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.  She decided to participate in Guo’s study, which is among the first in the country to explore the potential benefits of practicing a simple seated Tai Chi program for people with ambulatory disability resulting from health problems or injuries.  At the conclusion of the classes, her improvement was dramatic: she began walking and treading stairs unassisted, and she began to regain use of her arm.

Fun and engaging, Tai Chi has proved to be a uniquely effective form of therapy for many patients.  It effectively engages the three factors needed to promote health and recovery following a significant illness: physical activity, mental stimulation, and social involvement.  Tai Chi can bolster personal hope and belief that improvement is possible– proof that a simple and inexpensive intervention can help improve a person’s functional status.

exercise in a wheelchairwheelchair mobilitywheelchair tai chi
Share

Handicapped Community Involvement

You might also like

A Chance to Walk Again: Wheelchair to Walker
February 14, 2011

Leave A Reply


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • About Van Products

    At Van Products, we are in the business of allowing our customers the opportunity for freedom of independent living through custom mobility products and accessories.

  • Follow Us On

  • Tags

    Accessibility Awareness cerebral palsy commercial upfits disabilities disability disability awareness disabled veterans handicap accessibility handicap accessible van handicap accessible vans Handicapped organizations NC handicapped veterans wheelchair handicap vans life in a wheelchair mobility mobility impairment mobility products nc wheelchair van rental new wheelchair van new wheelchair vans overcoming challenges overcoming handicap challenges overcoming mobility challenges overcoming physical disability parenting physical therapy Raleigh handicap van Raleigh handicap vans Raleigh mobility vans Raleigh wheelchair community Raleigh wheelchair van rent a wheelchair van rent wheelchair van Success Stories used wheelchair van used wheelchair vans wheelchair accessibility wheelchair accessible van wheelchair accessible vans wheelchair stair lifts wheelchair van rental wheelchair vans wheelchair vans North Carolina wheelchair vans Raleigh


  • logo

  • Recent Posts

    • Side-Entry Vs. Rear-Entry Wheelchair Vans
      January 19, 2023
    • Reasons to Consider a Used Wheelchair Van
      December 12, 2022
    • Van Products Celebrates the US Open Wheelchair Championships
      September 30, 2022
  • Popular Posts

    • Exciting News for Kids in RHA Howell's Bridges' Cap/C Program!
      January 7, 2011
    • New Wheelchair Van: 2011 Toyota Sienna
      December 28, 2010
    • Overcoming Challenge and Disability: A Father’s Love and a Son’s Cerebral Palsy
      August 31, 2010

© Copyright Van Products Inc. All Rights Reserved. Website Design Development & Marketing by Look to the Right