Manual wheelchair really does help me

A manual wheelchair can be a life-changing tool for managing limited mobility. Mine also helps me in a way I did not expect. I never thought the biggest advantage would be making my core muscles significantly stronger. I had assumed the main advantage would be to stop me falling over and getting around more quickly and easily. Yes, it does that as well. Life can hold unexpected surprises even for someone like me with advanced multiple sclerosis.

I was ill in the winter

I started using my wheelchair because I did not feel safe or strong enough to use my walker when I was ill for 6 weeks during the winter. Two weeks after my recovery I was still using the wheelchair but only in the evenings when I was tired and liable to have a fall.  During the day I always use the walker when indoors. Occasionally I ventured into the garden using my wheelchair but going up any incline is impossible. I accept that if I want to go up a slope then I need push.

Surprised and impressed

At the end of January, I was travelling up to London by train. I was astonished to see a young woman in a wheelchair push herself up a ramp from the platform into the carriage of the train. She just did it and did not seem to be finding it a struggle. OK, she was probably about 50 years younger than me, but I was well impressed. I then realised that I need stronger core muscles if I want to be more independent.

The next morning

I thought about my walking with a walker. I realised that it was no longer such a colossal struggle and my posture was better. Maybe very limited use of the wheelchair was making my core muscles stronger. I decided that it was time to start using my manual wheelchair more seriously. A significant problem with my MS is the deterioration it causes happens very slowly so it is difficult to notice the problems. Very slowly my core muscles had been getting weaker and weaker because I was doing less and less walking. I am very aware that strong core muscles are the foundation to everything we do such as walking, standing or just getting up from a chair or sofa.

Exercise with my manual wheelchair

I now try to go out into the garden regularly and spend about ten to fifteen minutes wheeling myself around in my wheelchair. Yes I am lucky there is a level 50 metre path that zig-zags around the garden. Pushing myself along the path is good cardiovascular exercise that also strengthens my stomach muscles. This also gives me an opportunity to appreciate the garden. MS now stops me mowing the grass or doing any work in the flower beds none the less the garden gives me pleasure and a chance to relax.

The manual wheelchair

At first I was resistant to using the wheelchair. I saw it as an admission that MS had stopped me walking. We are designed to walk and not spend all the time in a chair. The manual wheelchair has many benefits, but I did not anticipate the positive effect on my muscles or cardiovascular system. My stomach muscles are getting stronger but they are still too weak. I find it much easier to get out of bed but I still cannot go from lying to sitting up. I saw these as MS problems and not caused by muscle weakness. The wheelchair helps to build up my strength without me seeing it as a daily exercise that I need to do. My manual wheelchair now helps me in ways I did not anticipate.

Photo by Sharon Waldron on Unsplash

March 2026

Associated posts

Poor balance and mobility makes walking difficult

 

 

 

 

My life with MS and invisible disabilities

 

 

 

 

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.