The Friends of Burnham-On-Sea Hospital have this week presented a new exercise bike to its physio department.
Approximately 20 years ago the League of Friends – as it was known at the time – purchased an exercise bike for the Physio Department which has now worn out and The Friends have recently been asked if they can replace it.
At the hospital in Burnham’s Love Lane the Friends of Burnham Hospital’s Chairman, Bernard Spilsbury, handed over the new kit to staff members Heloise Saint and Mike MacKay, as pictured here.
Talking to Burnham-On-Sea.com, Bernard said: “We are pleased to have been able to purchase a new Unicam Cyclotherapy System fitted to a Mmonark Exercise Cycle costing £2,640.”
“Cyclotherapy is a method by which a cycling based exercise is expanded into clinical use for the rehabilitation of lower limb injuries and neurological disorders.”
“Cycling provides an excellent cardiovascular, low impact exercise that most are familiar with.”
“When fitted with a Unicam patented pedal system the clinical use of a standard cycle is greatly extended as it allows patients with lower limb impairments/injuries to use ‘Cyclotherapy’ as part of their routine treatment.”
“If we look at cycling purely as a mobilising technique a typical ten-minute session pedalling at fifty revolutions per minute will generate five hundred movements through the joint.”
“All exercises are patient driven and therapist controlled, where the physiotherapist is able to precisely set and record each exercise session and the patient is able to see and feel their improvement as exercises progress.”
“The pedal crank on a normal bike is of a fixed length and requires a normal range of joint function and strength to be able to complete a full rotation.”
“Unicam’s pedal system comprises of a crank arm with a series of nine locations to which a special pedal is attached. By using various configurations it is possible to progress a patient with loss of function and strength in the hip, knee, or ankle.”
