Improve Your Health with the Fitness for Amputees App
Working out as a new below-the-knee (BK) amputee can be challenging. You're not sure what to expect from your prosthesis yet, and some moves can be difficult to modify for those days when you can’t tolerate your prosthesis. And there’s the added challenge of learning how to move correctly—without injuring yourself—with your new prosthesis. It's a good thing that you can download a workout app designed for unilateral BK amputees—Fitness for Amputees.
Developed by Ottobock, a leading prosthetic limbs manufacturer, Fitness for Amputees features three modules that are designed alongside a team of physiotherapists. The modules aim to help you work on strengthening your upper body muscles and stabilizing your spine (Strength & Endurance), improving coordination and supporting safe standing on a prosthetic leg (Coordination & Balance), and relaxing the muscles for faster regeneration and increase muscle flexibility (Stretch & Relax).
Furthermore, the app splits the workouts into two categories: with prostheses and without. This is perfect for those who want to target different muscle groups and for those who contend with sensitive or sore residual limbs.
It is important to note that the app will not replace physiotherapy. The support of an actual person is beneficial for someone new to the amputee life. However, the exercises in Fitness for Amputees can complement existing physical training as the exercises aim to stabilize the upper body and spine, which leads to mobility and independence for those wearing prosthetic legs.
If you're hoping to intensify your fitness regimen but are new to the amputee life or a fitness newbie, we recommend training with the app first. Many amputees have seen results from regular training for three weeks; others use the app as a gateway to other, more intense workout regimens, like CrossFit or amputee running.
Fitness for Amputees is available at the Apple App Store and Google Play.
