An investigation for maintaining good health and improving physical fitness by means of swimming and exercise in water in disabled children

为了保持身体残疾人士的健康和改善他们的体能，他们应考虑进行一些适当的运动，利用身体的残余功能，以发展潜在的能力。目前的研究集中在这个问题上，特别是对儿童脊柱裂。他们的行走能力在10至20岁之间开始恶化。这通常是由高能量需求引起的，伴随着体重的增加。过渡到较低的步行状态导致肌肉力量和心血管健康的进一步损失。较低水平的日常活动减少了能量消耗，而过多的营养摄入会导致脂肪组织增加。适当的营养和锻炼计划应该尽早开始，以防止这种不良状态。因此，在本研究中，游泳和水中运动被用于这一目的。研究对象为36名脊柱裂儿童，其中15名儿童有定期游泳训练的机会，21名儿童没有。通过心率、游泳速度和录像评价游泳成绩。所有15名训练儿童和21名未训练儿童中的11名显示心率高于14 B/min。除1名未训练儿童外，大多数受试者的心率高于120 B/min。提示以心率为特征的水中运动强度有助于提高心血管素质，对预防肥胖有一定作用。游泳时的能量消耗与瘫痪的神经节段之间的不相关性可能表明游泳技能的提高导致产生更强的运动强度。此外，训练方法使用显着的正常上肢似乎是有用的儿童瘫痪的下肢。

In order to maintain good health and to improve physical fitness in persons with physical disabilities, some appropriate exercises using residual physical functions which contribute to development of latent abilities should be considered. The present study focused on this problem particularly for children with spina bifida. Their ambulatory ability begins to deteriorate between the ages of 10 and 20. This is most often caused by the high energy requirement for ambulation, accompanied by an increase in body weight. The transition to lower ambulatory status results in further loss of muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness. The lower level of daily activity reduced energy expenditure, and excessive nutrient intake for their needs results in increased adipose tissue. Appropriate nutritional and exercise program should be started early to prevent this undesirable status. Thus, swimming and exercise in water was employed for this aim in the present investigation. The subjects was 36 children with spina bifida ; 15 children of them have any regular opportunities for training of swimming and 21 children have not. Swimming performance was evaluated with heart rate, swimming speed and video-recording. All the 15 trained children and 11 of 21 untrained children demonstrated heart rate of higher than 14 b/min. Heart rate of higher than 120 b/min was observed in most subjects except one untrained child. It is suggested that his intensity of the exercise in water characterized with heart rate contributes to improvement of cardiovascular fitness and is useful to prevent their obesity. Uncorrelation between energy expenditure during swimming and the neurological segment of paralysis may indicate that more improved skill of swimming leads to produce a stronger intensity of exercise. Furthermore, a training method using significantly the normal upper limbs seems to be useful for children with paralysis in the lower limbs.