GlideCycle Comparison to Existing Forms of Exercise for Amputees

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Challenges: Individuals with physical disabilities encounter unique challenges and barriers to finding safe and effective forms of exercise and physical mobility. For example, amputees’ mobility and exercise capabilities vary significantly with the level of amputation as well as with the physical status of the individual. These variations are found in other forms of physical impairment as well.

Bicycling
This is simply not an option for a majority of amputees due to:

• Level of amputation
• Difficulty to maintain feet comfortably on the pedals
• Balance requirements to stay upright and safe.

Only highly athletic amputees, with the lowest level amputations, are candidates for cycling. With higher amputations, performing a pedal stroke is difficult due to missing muscle groups as well as potential shearing forces that can occur where the skin meets the socket.

Bicycling does not stimulate normal walking and running motions or core muscle groups that lead to improved functional abilities, ambulatory capacity, balance, fall recovery and resistance.

Running:
Only few, select athletes with access to the most sophisticated and expensive prosthetic technology will ever experience the ability to tolerate running for exercise.

Upper body ergo meters do not translate to improved function in large muscle groups used for ambulation and are not tolerated well by many individuals with shoulder ailments, weakness or sensitivity to cardio-respiratory stresses.

The GlideCycle™
Freedom and independence in exercise as well as mobility enhancement are permitted that are uniquely different from any other form of exercise or physical training. The GlideCycle™ differs from running, bicycling and other modes of exercise in the following ways:

• Simulates normal upright walking and running postures and movement patterns in disabled individuals. This translates into improvements in overall function, ambulatory capacity and balance.
• Accommodates many orthopedic, neurological, or painful leg conditions by providing the possibility to train with one leg or favor a leg - without painful, pounding, or shearing forces to joints and prosthetic devices.
• Requires significantly less balance than bicycling.
• Provides a safe, effective, fun form of low-impact strengthening and cardio / aerobic exercise.
• Allows those normally confined to stationary equipment to enjoy exercise and independent mobility outdoors with family and friends.
• Improves posture, confidence, and sense of overall well-being for those with physical disabilities.
• Amputees training on the GlideCycle™ have reported significant improvements in tolerance of prosthetic limbs for longer periods of time, thus improving ambulatory capacity and function.