Exercise for Persons with Disabilities (ExPD) Program

Many persons with disabilities do not have access to effective exercise programs or opportunities to participate in an active lifestyle. Based at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, the goal of the new Exercise for Persons with Disabilities (ExPD) program is to provide suitable exercise activities for health, leisure and sport for people with disabilities. There is ample evidence that exercise can result in health benefits and improve quality of life in those with disabilities. However, exercise must be appropriate to each population to address their unique needs in order to induce optimal health benefits.

With this in mind, the ExPD program has begun by introducing a new innovative form of exercise, Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)-Rowing, for people with Spinal Cord Injury. FES is a technology that allows paralyzed muscles to contribute to whole body exercise. In this way both the paralyzed legs and innervated arms are under voluntary control and higher exercise intensities can be reached and sustained. In fact, some FES-rowers have achieved unprecedented work rates comparable to those of able-bodied rowers.