Exercises and Alternative Therapies

Disclaimer

This pages lists exercises to try and alternative/complementary therapies to consider. Before beginning and alternative/complementary medicine or supplement program,  contact your medical provider.  

The key is to be as active as possible and exercise in a way that protects your joints and bones. Exercise is important, but make it fun! Try some of the activities below and see what you enjoy. Modify activities if they don’t work with your body. For example, find a yoga class is a sitting only class.

Exercises for people with Dwarfism 

Find which one of the exercises below is for you! Consult with your medical provider to learn which exercises are safest to try.

  • Aerobics: Helpful link on adaptive aerobics: http://www.turnstep.com/Adaptive/index.html
  • Bicycling: This can be a great low-stress activity. How to find a bicycle that fits people with dwarfism.
  • Dancing
  • Low Impact Aerobics
  • Rowing
  • Sit and be Fit Exercise
  • Swimming: This is one of the best exercises for people with dwarfism. It puts little stress on the joints and is a great workout. It can be a fantastic way to strengthen back and abdominal muscles
  • Walking: It is important to wear good shoes when walking. Check out the Finding Shoes for People with Dwarfism section.
  • Water-Walking/Water-Jogging/Water Aerobics: Exercising in the water is a great choice! The water provides resistance, but the activity is low impact. If the water is over your head, consider getting a life vest that is designed to hold you vertically in the water or some ankle weights and a flotation belt. If your feet do not touch the floor, consider sinking a step stool with a non-skid surface on it or using a floating ‘noodle’ to keep yourself a float.

Movement Therapies can be low impact and great 

  • The Alexander Technique – The Alexander Technique teaches the body to restore balance and coordination. A person trained in the Alexander techniques looks for movement patterns which impede freedom of movement and help people move more easily. The way you use your body effects digestions, mental clarity, and immune response.
  • Feldenkrais – Feldenkrais is a series of visualization and movement exercises designed to shift habitual movement patterns, allowing new and better ways of movements. There are two main ways of teaching Feldenkrais: Function Integration using hands on approach and also in Awareness Through Movement, a class setting.
  • Rolfing – Rolfing is a technique of moving the connective tissue that surrounds muscles in order to lengthen and balance the body along a vertical axis. Distortions of this balance can come from many sources including accidents and emotional traumas that have never been released. A complete rolfing session consists of 10 sessions progressing from superficial to deeper layers if tissue and eventually covers
  • T’ai Chi – Tai Chi is a Taoist Chinese martial art form of meditation in movement, combining mental concentration with coordinated breathing. It is a series of slow and graceful movements.
  • Yoga – Yoga is a series of poses and exercises that help people achieve a state of clarity and make the mind and body one. It is supposed to help people become unified with the universal spirit. Yoga concentrates on posture and alignment and control. There are many different methods of Yoga.

General Web Pages about exercising for People with Different Abilities.

  • Dwarf Athletic Association of America: http://www.daaa.org/
  • The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability: http://www.ncpad.org. This site contains a calendar, an incredible number of fact sheets, ideas, research data, and more. If you want to find some fun exercises that meet your abilities, this is a great web page to start.
  • Paralympics http://www.paralympic.org/.
  • Check out 3-time Paralympic Eric Popovitch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Popovich . Erin is a person with dwarfism who won 14 gold medals, and 19 total medal. She and set 3 World Swimming records and 4 Paralympic Swimming records!

Custom Bicycles for People with Dwarfism

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Disclaimer

Discuss any alternative/complementary medicine or supplement program with your provider before starting.

Please see general web page disclaimer.

 

Acupuncture, Acupressure, Chiropractic, Massage

Nutritional Therapies and Supplements

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Other Alternative Therapy Links