An estimated one out of every 800 babies in the U.S. are born with spina bifida myelomeningocele, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus service. Spina bifida myelomeningocele is a medical condition in which the spine and spinal canal do not close properly before birth, so that the baby is born with a myelomeningocele, a sac sticking out of the baby's back, containing the meninges, membranes that cover the spinal cord, and part of the spinal cord itself. If you have this form of spina bifida, physical activity can improve your health and morale.
Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele
About 90 percent of the spina bifida babies born before the 1950s died. From the 1950s onward, neurological surgeons developed operations that allowed most of the babies to survive. Spina bifida myelomeningocele is one of the most severe forms of spina bifida. After surgery is done to close the sac on their backs, children often have impaired leg function or may have paralysis. Other possible issues are bowel and bladder control, and hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.
Cardiovascular Disease Risk
A 2008 study of spina bifida myelomeningocele patients, published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, examined 31 teens and young adults, of whom 13 were able to walk and 18 were not. Laurien M. Buffart and her co-researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, found that 15 percent of the ambulatory patients and 61 percent of the patients who were non-ambulatory were at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The researchers suggested that spina bifida myelomeningocele patients need to improve their aerobic fitness.
Exercise Studies
While physical activity studies for spina bifida students are recommended, research on the best types of exercise for spina bifida patients is still scarce. In a 2006 study, Lana M. Widman and her colleagues at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento investigated whether mobility-impaired spina bifida teens might benefit from using an upper extremity exercise device called a "GameCycle," which requires vigorous arm movements in order to "steer" a car shown on a video game screen. The eight teens, who ranged from wheelchair users to walkers with impaired gaits, used the GameCycle three times per week for 16 weeks. At the end of the study, all but one of the teens showed improved oxygen uptake.
Exercise Program
If you are looking for a spina bifida exercise program, The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability has created an online exercise video, "Teens on the Move: An Exercise Video for Teens with Spina Bifida." The video shows teens in wheelchairs engaging in 18 minutes of aerobic exercise, 16 minutes of flexibility exercises, 26 minutes of strength training, including balance and core exercises, and warm-up and cool-down exercises. While the video targets teens, adults can also benefit from the exercises. The Spina Bifida Association warns that spina bifida patients can easily gain too much weight and recommends various exercise and physical activity programs that spina bifida patients should consider, such as wheelchair basketball and track.
References
- SB Myelomeningeocele: Children and Adults with Spinal Bifida and Hydrocephalus
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus: Myelomeningocele
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons: Chapter 33, Spinal Dysraphism
- PubMed.gov: Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors
- "The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine"; "Effectiveness of an Upper Extremity Exercise Device"; Lana M. Widman et al., March 2006
- National Center on Physical Activity and Disability: Teens on the Move
