It is very important to maintain the mental and physical health of a bedridden patient as well as possible. There are serious risks associated with staying in bed for a long period of time. For example, contractures can appear, muscles might become deformed. Bedsores are also common among bedridden patients. They can lead to infections and extreme discomfort of the patient. To prevent all these things, regular exercise is recommended to bed-bound patients.
Upper extremity exercises for bed-bound patients
Neck exercises
- Sit up or lay down.
- Turn your head into one direction, until you feel a slight stretch in your neck.
- Slowly turn your head in the other direction, until you feel the stretch again.
- Repeat this exercise 5 times.
Hand and palm exercises
- Move your hand towards your body.
- Spread your fingers as wide as possible.
- Touch your thumb with each finger.
- Repeat this for the other hand.
These exercises will help the patient to eat with less help from others and to be able to push buttons.
Arm exercise
- Bend your arms, so that the back of your hand touches your shoulders.
- Push towards the ceiling.
- Return to starting position.
- Repeat this exercise 10 times.
Shoulder exercise
- Lay your hands beside your body.
- Lift your arms above your head, as far as you can. Be careful, not to bend your arms too much.
- Lower your arms beside your body.
- Repeat this exercise 10 times.
Lower extremity exercises for bedridden patients
Ankle exercise
- Point your feet away from you, like you are trying to reach something at the end of the bed.
- Pull your feet back towards you.
- Repeat this exercise for both feet for about half a minute.
Leg exercises
- Lie on your back and have your feet straight.
- Slowly bend your knees by sliding your ankle upwards.
- Slowly straighten your leg out, sliding your ankle downwards.
- Repeat this 10 times for each leg.
Full-body exercises for bedridden patients
Side rolls
- You can start from lying on your back or one of your sides.
- Slowly roll to one side.
- Do this exercise a few times a day.
Hip raises
- Start this exercise from lying on your back.
- Raise your hip slightly from your bed.
- Try to hold it there for a few seconds.
- Slowly lower your hip back.
What to do if I am a bedridden person?
If you are currently bedridden, it is important to do these exercises to keep muscle strength and good circulation. There are a few important things, that you need to consider:
Before starting these exercises consult your doctor or your caregiver, if these are suitable for you.
These exercises meant to be painless, so if you feel any discomfort during these, stop it immediately and let your doctor know.
The key to recovery and staying as physically fit as possible is consistency. Try to do these exercises every day.
What to do if I am taking care of a bedridden person?
If you are taking care of a bedridden loved one, here are a few tips on how you can help them.
There are some harder exercises on this list, so if they are not able to do it by themselves help them.
Check-in with them regularly to see if they are doing the exercises.
Take an extra step with bedsore prevention. Bedsore is very common among bedridden patients and it can be incredibly unpleasant. So prevention is really important. While these exercises are a really good start, there is an extra step you can take in bedsore prevention.
We developed a gel, dermolex which helps to prevent bedsores. The gel formulation is rapidly absorbed and will not stain the clothes or the bed linen as it does not contain any colorings or fragrances. It contains carefully selected herbal ingredients, which help the skin stay refreshed. You can read more about the usage and reviews of doctors and patients here.
Summary
To sum it up, exercise is crucial for bedridden patients. It keeps the muscles fit and the skin healthy. Try doing these exercises every but, but always stop and let your doctor or caretaker know if any of these are causing any discomfort.
The exercises presented here are one of the most important things in bedsore prevention. If you want to take an extra step, you can order our bedsore prevention gel here.
