As a quadriplegic, my favorite 40 minutes out of every day is when my legs get range of motion in the morning. That is the only time, day or night, when my legs get to move. Ever since I became paralyzed, I have constantly craved range of motion. Just getting my legs loosened up and the way it feels to have them move around is honestly the greatest feeling I know.

 

Last summer, while attending the 2007 Abilities Expo in Long Beach, California, I came across an exercise machine called the Flexiciser. I was immediately intrigued. Sure enough, the Flexiciser is a piece of exercise equipment that provides a person in a wheelchair with a certain degree of range of motion in the legs and arms while remaining in the wheelchair.  All I could think of was how remarkable an idea that was, and how badly I wanted to try it out.

 

I Immediately rolled right up to give it a try, and asked the Flexiciser technician to hook me up and give me a demonstration. The technician was all too happy to oblige me. First, the technician removed the leg rests from my wheelchair, leaving my legs dangling in the air. Then, one at a time, my feet were strapped onto two large foot plates. Meanwhile, a pair of handlebars protruded out from the machine, toward me. Once my feet were strapped in and ready, the technician used another product that Flexiciser Inc. had designed, the FlexiGrip, to attach my hands to the handlebars. The Flexiciser was then turned on and, beginning at a slow speed, started moving my legs as though I were riding a bicycle. It Was Heavenly! It was an absolutely wonderful feeling! It felt GREAT to have my legs moving around during the middle of the day.

 

At the same time, the handlebars went forward and back, alternating left and right, rather than both handlebars moving forward and back together. Because of my limited use of my hands, I really liked the design of the FlexiGrip -- it was very simple, comfortable and easy to use. So now, the Flexiciser was cruising away, loosening up my legs, and the handlebars were going forward and back in alternating motions, kind of loosening up my shoulders and torso. 

 

Finally, my demonstration was over. I spent 15 minutes on the Flexiciser and felt wonderful afterword! My legs felt alive and great! My arms, shoulders and trunk all felt good. I just could not believe how good I felt all over from just 15 minutes on the unit. Where had this machine been all my life? I had been complaining about lack of range of motion for practically the entire 12 years I have been a quadriplegic, and I had no idea at all that there was a product like the Flexiciser out there that could have been providing me with added range of motion everyday. 

 

The Flexiciser rep informed me that the the Flexiciser technology was developed by Kenneth Richardson of Santa Fe Springs, CA back in 1982. Since 1982, Flexiciser has received letters from all over the world about how the Flexiciser has helped to calm spasticity, increase circulation, control swelling in the legs and ankles, and improve users’ general sense of well being. By increasing circulation, the Flexiciser also encourages healing of cuts and ulcers and improves skin texture. Additionally, it assists with weight control as well as pain control.

 

You can set your Flexiciser for either active, passive or even resistive modes. With the active mode, the user can actually assist with the peddling. That would be a good selection for anyone who has some use of their legs and would like to use them and perhaps strengthen them while using the machine. The resistive mode is for someone with such good use of their legs that they can actually work through resistance. This would be a good setting for someone strengthening their legs. Finally, the passive mode would be for individuals like myself, who have minimal or no use of their legs and desire only to have them receive some range of motion.  On the passive and the resistive, they can get a workout with their arms if they so choose.

 

No matter how short or tall you are, there is a Flexiciser for you. For individuals over 6 feet tall, Flexiciser makes the Flexiciser Big’N’Tall model. It features carbon steel and adjustable handlebars. Flexiciser also offers another product designed specifically to stretch the hamstrings, the FlexiHamstring. The hamstring is the longest muscle and requires stretching to keep the back loose. The FlexiHamstring raises your legs, holds the position/angle for a desired duration, and releases it.  The cycle repeats itself for a full and complete hamstring stretch. 

 

The price for one of the units is around $3800. I asked the representative whether insurance paid for it and she told me that certain insurance companies had begun to pay for the units, and that Flexiciser Inc. was working on getting more and more insurance companies to pay for them. Flexiciser is a Blue Shield of California provider. While most other insurance companies will not pay for the Flexiciser, some of them do. It varies from insurance company to insurance company and depends on the coverage. In the past, Blue Cross of Texas, Liberty Mutual and AAA have paid the full amount. Again, the individual has to check with their insurance company and obtain a doctor’s prescription .

 

Flexiciser Inc. is based in Carlsbad, California. For anyone interested in purchasing a Flexiciser, if you live in San Diego, simply contact Flexiciser for a free demonstration. However, if you do not live in the area, then your best bet to try out the Flexiciser is to attend this summer's Abilities Expo. The Abilities Expo is a traveling trade show which features many of the industry's products and organizations. This year's Abilities Expo is scheduled for the Anaheim Convention Center May 30-June 1, New York March 28-30, and Minnesota September 12-14. The complete schedule has not yet been announced, but stay tuned here at Dangerwood where, as soon as the information is released, we'll pass it right along to you.

 

In order to prepare to write this piece, Flexiciser graciously loaned me one of their units, which I have been on every day that I've been in my chair for the past month. I usually like to get on it right before I get out of my wheelchair and into bed. Typically at that time, my entire bottom of my right leg, all the way from my thigh down to my foot, is in terrible pain. It is sciatic pain, and it runs down the bottom of my leg and into my foot like a dagger. I feel it almost all the time, whether I am in my chair or in my bed. Remarkably, during and after using the Flexiciser for 20 minutes, the pain is gone! So instead of being driven from my chair by overwhelming sciatic pain, I instead get out loose and pain-free. It is a complete reversal and exceeds any hopes or expectations I might have had for the Flexiciser.