Lower limb muscle strength training methods for spinal cord injury

The bones in any part of our body are very important. No matter which part is injured, we will not be able to work and study normally. For a person with spinal cord injury, it is very necessary to understand the lower limb muscle strength training method for spinal cord injury, because it can help people get out of the haze of illness as soon as possible. Next, let us understand what are the lower limb muscle strength training methods for spinal cord injury?

Training Methods

Before conducting strength training, training steps and methods should be developed based on the plane and type of spinal cord injury, remaining motor and sensory functions, age, physical condition, characteristics, presence of complex injuries, and postoperative recovery status [3]. There are many methods of muscle strength training. According to the degree of active force, they can be divided into active exercise, passive exercise, assisted exercise, and resistance exercise; according to the type of muscle contraction, they can be divided into isometric exercise, isotonic exercise, and isokinetic exercise. Muscle strength training runs through the entire process of rehabilitation care, and different rehabilitation care training is provided to patients at different stages.

Passive training

Early passive motion training was performed on patients according to their individual differences and postoperative wound healing conditions. Passive training in the early stage, i.e. during the bed rest period, is a necessary condition for the recovery of lower limb muscle strength. It can also prevent muscle atrophy, joint stiffness, and combat muscle spasms.

In the early stage, lower limb muscle massage is mainly performed. The massage mainly targets the gluteal muscles, thigh muscles, calf muscles and toe flexors of the lower limbs. Perform targeted passive exercises based on the muscles that are experiencing dysfunction. The massage technique should be moderate in hardness and softness, and massage from near to far in sequence 1 time/015～1h15～20min/time. Keep the paralyzed limb in functional position when not in motion. Use soft pillows to raise the outer sides of the thighs to prevent external rotation of the hip joint. Bend the knee joint slightly and support it with a small pillow under the knee. Keep the ankle joint at 90° to prevent foot drop and protect it with pads.

Active Training

As the patient's lower limb muscle strength continues to recover, he or she can gradually enter the active activity stage. The training process should start from sitting up in bed, then sitting up beside the bed, and gradually use auxiliary tools for functional exercises such as walkers, crutches, balance bars, bicycles, etc. In this process, in addition to patiently and carefully guiding patients, nursing staff still need to assist patients in completing training content in certain aspects to ensure patient safety. The main purpose of active exercise is to increase the patient's lower limb muscle strength. Instruct and assist the patient to stand beside the bed, hold the foot of the bed with both hands and squat on the knees, keep the spine straight and the heels cannot leave the ground, and gradually flex the hip and knee joints to or exceed 90°, 3 to 5 times a day. The number of squats each time should be appropriate to the patient's tolerance. You can also do cross-leg training, that is, the patient lies on the bed or sits on a chair with his waist straight, crosses his legs, and places one leg on the opposite thigh, 3 to 5 times a day, and crosses his legs 30 times each time. The above training methods mainly train the gluteal muscle function.

Quadriceps training. The quadriceps femoris is the largest muscle in the body and belongs to the anterior group of thigh muscles. Strengthening the training of the quadriceps femoris is of great significance to improving the patient's daily living activities (ADL). Method: ① Ask the patient to lie on his back, place the affected lower limb on a pillow, tighten the anterior thigh muscle, press the knee to the floor, start with a small pressure, gradually reach the maximum pressure, and then reduce it. ② Sit on your back on the floor with your upper limbs supported backwards, your knees straight, and a pillow placed under your knees. Place the pillow between your knees, and press your knees inwards against the pillow at the same time. While maintaining this compression, tighten the muscles in the front of your thighs so that both knees press down on the pillow behind the knees at the same time. ③ Lie on your back with both knees bent, flex the hip and extend the knee on the affected side to do straight leg raises. As the condition recovers, resistance training can be performed, such as sandbag training. The patient lies on his back with the hip and knee flexed, or sits with a sandbag placed in front of the distal end of the affected limb to straighten the knee joint.

Although the lower limb muscle strength training method for spinal cord injury is a bit complicated, it is worth our careful look. In addition, during the training process, we must pay attention to our own safety issues. We cannot make our spinal cord injury worse due to our own negligence and carelessness. This will be a relatively bad result for us.