THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 7, 1996 TAG: 9606050165
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: K1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 80 lines
After a lifetime of physical therapy, 17-year-old Eric Grainger was bored.
At 13, Scott Kauffman was burned out after just a few years of his program. He felt he already had ``outgrown all that cutesy stuff'' his therapist used.
Until recently, these teens had few options other than traditional physical therapy programs to help them. Afflicted with disabling nerve diseases, they required specialized exercise regimens to maintain muscle strength and endurance. Neither wanted to be entirely dependent on braces or wheelchairs.
Still, they yearned for a more challenging program of exercise, something that would be a change of pace and provide them with a chance to improve their physical conditions.
``I'd been in physical therapy since I was 9 months old,'' explained Grainger, born with cerebral palsy. ``I didn't even notice a difference anymore.''
In January, Grainger and Kauffman got their wish when United Cerebral Palsy of Southeastern Virginia initiated a pilot bodybuilding project designed especially for disabled adolescents and young adults. The program, the only one of its kind in the country, officials say, aims to offer these teens a ``fun'' exercise alternative to traditional physical therapy by using hydraulic gym equipment commonly found in community facilities.
``This is an adjunct to their physical therapy . . . not a substitute,'' stressed Suzanne Buhner, program director for United Cerebral Palsy. ``Most of these kids still get physical therapy in their schools. But after 14 or 15 years of doing it, they get bored. And then, they don't make progress. So what we're trying to do is to continue using those concepts they've learned to try and keep them active and maintain their muscle base.''
The program came about at the request of parents who complained that their children needed something more, Buhner said.
``We looked into it and found out that some studies show if you keep these kids exercising, you can maintain or even increase their muscle base,'' she said. ``Their condition won't get worse. They just need a management strategy so there is no backsliding. For some people with cerebral palsy, their muscles grow faster than their abilities. We want to keep their abilities up with their development.''
With the help of specialists at the Downtown Athletic Club in Norfolk, United Cerebral Palsy physical therapists developed a basic conditioning program using hydraulic PACE Strengthening Equipment.
At the center, however, each participant is evaluated so an individual program can be developed according to particular needs and conditions. Nine different types of machines, including a treadmill, stepper, recumbent bike, leg abductor and shoulder press, are incorporated.
Although programs are individualized, the teens participate as a group in 60-minute sessions twice a week at the Greenwich Road center in Virginia Beach.
``This is more fun than doing it by yourself,'' noted Grainger, a junior at Maury High School. ``You can interact more. I've made a lot of friends.''
Buhner said: ``It's a real social outlet for these kids. They check each others' data and machines. They're meeting peers they wouldn't normally meet.''
For the pilot program, six teens, aged 10 to 17, are enrolled. The cost, which eventually may be reduced, Buhner said, is $200 for eight weeks.
By this summer, officials hope to add more sessions. They already have a waiting list of interested participants.
``We want to find out what works first and then develop a model,'' Buhner said.
Eventually, the local United Cerebral Palsy officials would like to see other chapters throughout the country develop similar programs.
``This program is very replicable,'' Buhner explained. ``As you and I have many options, we should be able to offer other options to individuals with disabilities.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Scott Kauffman, 13, who said he had ``outgrown all that cutesy
stuff'' in therapy, uses bodybuilding equipment as part of his
program.
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