Secondary Conditions of Paralysis: How FES Exercise and the MyoCycle Can Help

Many of the approximately 5.4 million people in the US living with some form of paralysis are at risk of developing secondary complications that add to the challenges of being unable to walk — and make daily life more difficult. These conditions can arise soon after an injury or diagnosis or can happen years later. Such conditions impair autonomic functions and lead to dangerous conditions and pain. 

Fortunately, clinical research has proven that functional electrical stimulation (FES) exercise and FES bicycles such as the MyoCycle counteract these negative effects and help those with paralysis live a more fulfilling, active life. Read on to learn about secondary complications of paralysis and how FES cycling provides therapeutic benefits that reverse the effects of secondary complications and enhance the quality of life. 

Understanding Secondary Complications of Paralysis and the Benefits of FES Exercise

Following a nerve-affecting injury, messages from your central nervous system to your muscles are interrupted, rendering muscles unable to move as they once did. FES exercise and the MyoCycle, in particular, uses strategically placed electrodes to send low-energy electrical impulses to the muscles to cause them to contract. The machine’s computer allows the movements to be synchronized just as they would be if your brain were sending the impulses correctly. As your muscles respond to the stimulation, the bike tracks your speed and adds resistance as needed. FES cycling for at least half an hour to an hour per day 3 days a week, helps people with spinal cord injury or paralysis from other causes. 

The Food and Drug Association (FDA) has cleared the following 4 uses for the MyoCycle. 

1. Decreasing Atrophy

With any injury leading to paralysis, one of the most common concerns is disuse atrophy resulting from inactivity and the loss of muscle tissue. FES exercise is intended to prevent and even reverse disuse atrophy, which causes the following symptoms. 

• Imbalance and muscle incoordination
• Difficulty walking
• Falls
• Speaking and swallowing issues
• Facial weakness
• Progressive memory loss
• Numbness or tingling in the extremities

FES Exercise 

Research has proven that getting adequate exercise on an FES-powered bicycle can prevent and even reverse muscle atrophy by reactivating weakened or paralyzed muscles and allowing them to engage in functional motion. In this way, FES bikes work the same as other forms of exercise, allowing muscles to perform against measured resistance, improving muscle tone, and allowing the muscles to grow. 

2. Improving Blood Flow

Another secondary complication of paralysis is decreased blood flow and the elevated risk of blood clots, which are mainly a concern within a few months of experiencing a spinal cord injury but can occur at any point following illnesses. Proper blood circulation is essential to prevent blood clots, so if you cannot move or walk or spend substantial amounts of time on bed rest, you have a higher risk of developing them. 

A larger concern is pressure sores, caused when insufficient blood flow leads to skin breakdown. The resulting pressure ulcers are painful, expensive, difficult to treat, and even fatal if untreated and infection develops. Additionally, lack of movement and blood flow can lead to swelling and lymphedema in the lower limbs.

FES Exercise

FES exercise helps prevent blood clots by moving the blood from the muscles back to the heart and signaling the heart and lungs to send more oxygenated blood back. FES cycling activates paralyzed or weakened muscles and increases circulatory system activity, leading to improved blood flow. 

3. Increasing Range of Motion

People with paralysis experience a reduced range of motion, which is how capably the joints perform a complete spectrum of movements when engaged by the muscles. If a limited range of motion goes unaddressed, it leads to muscle tightness and can eventually make you unable to live independently.  

FES Exercise 

FES cycling allows people with paralysis to maintain their current range of motion abilities or enjoy an increased range of motion. Further, it improves blood circulation and allows for more active muscle contractions.

4. Preventing Spasticity

Spasticity is involuntary tightening or contracting of muscles and is prevalent in people with brain injury, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy. 

Symptoms of spasticity include the following. 

• Sudden limb flexion or extension
• Muscle jerking
• Overactive reflexes resulting from touch
• Stiff, tight muscles at rest or during activity 

Spasms often occur in the thighs, stomach, hands, arms, feet, or rib muscles. 

FES Exercise

As with regular exercise, FES exercise tires the active and antagonist muscles out while increasing blood circulation and preventing spasms for hours following the exercise. With a regular cadence to FES exercise, spasms can decrease over time.

MYOLYN Helps You Move

However long you have been living with paralysis or whatever the cause, FES exercise using an FES bicycle like the MyoCycle can help avoid or reverse secondary complications that can make life miserable. At MYOLYN, we are passionate about helping you rediscover movement and live your best life. Reach out to our caring and knowledgeable team today to find out more.