190 chapter 23
It is important—both for the body
and mind—that spinal cord injured
persons keep physically active. Let your
child do as much for herself as she can:
pushing her own wheelchair, bathing,
transferring, washing clothes, cleaning
house, and helping with work.
Active games and sports can
also be encouraged. Swimming,
basketball, and archery can be done
well with upper body use only.
Quadriplegics can become skillful
with bow and arrow by using a
straight-arm splint and a special
hook, fastened to the hand, to pull
the string.
(Note: Archery may also help correct spinal curve. The
arm that pulls the string should be on the side with
bulge in the back.)
To keep leg bones growing well and to prevent them from becoming weak and
breaking easily, even children who may always be wheelchair riders should stand for a
while every day. Standing also helps the child’s bowels move more often.
This can be done
by strapping
the child to a
’standing board’,
or by making
some kind of a
standing frame.
This standing frame was
invented by a paraplegic
youth and his father. The
boy uses the spasticity in
his legs to stand. When the
muscles tire he hangs and
sits on the padded poles.
This design for a
standing wheel-bed
allows a spinal cord
injured child with
pressure sores on
her butt to actively
move about. The
child can adjust it
while on it, from a
flat-lying position to a
near‑standing position.
It can be made out of
wood or metal.
Disabled village Children