17 exercises for people in bed (mobility and breathing)

Exercises for people in bed must be performed 2 times a day and serve to improve skin elasticity, prevent muscle loss and maintain joint movement. Asimism, these exercises improve blood circulation, preventing decubitus ulcers, also called bedsores.

Apart from physical exercises, it is also important that the person performs breathing exercises, can help to maintain the functioning of the respiratory muscles and guarantee a greater lung capacity, making the person breathe better and be more effective in this case. of having to expel phlegm, for example.

Exercises must always be carried out slowly, respecting the limits of each person. The ideal is that the exercises are recommended by a health professional, especially by a physical therapist.

1. Exercises for physical mobility

Some excellent exercises to maintain the mobility of the person in bed and strengthen the muscles are:

Piernas and pies

1. With the person acostada boca arriba, ask them to move them from one side to another and from top to bottom, as if they were studying the movement of “ballerina pie”. Each movement must be performed 3 times with each foot;
2. Close to the mouth, the person must flex and extend the legs 3 times in a row with each one;
3. The person must open and close the legs, approaching and slamming a rodilla from the other;
4. Boca up and with the extended leg, lift the leg and keep the stretched rodilla;
5. Mouth up and with the extended leg, opening and closing the leg on the side of the bed, without inflecting the leg;
6. Flex your legs and try to lift your buttocks from the bed, 3 times in a row.

arms and hands

1. Open and close the fingers of the hands, open and close the hands;
2. Support the cat in the bed and move the hands up and down and from one side to the other;
3. Flexion los arms, trying to lean back la mano en el shoulder, 3 times in a row with each arm;
4. With the arm extended, lift it without flexing the elbow;
5. Keep the arm static and extended to the length of the body and carry out the movement of opening and closing the arm, dragging it in bed;
6. Carry out a movement of rotation of the shoulder, as if you were studying drawing a large circle on the wall.

Some important indications are to repeat the series of exercises from 2 to 3 times, with intervals of 1 to 2 minutes of rest between them, and to repeat from 1 to 3 days a week, with a minimum of 48 hours of rest between sessions.

Easy-access objects such as water-filled bottles, sand bags, packets of rice or beans, can be used to increase exercise resistance, contributing to an increase in muscle mass.

2. Breathing exercises

If the person lying in bed manages to get up, he can perform these breathing exercises sitting on the bed or on his feet. The exercises are:

1. Place your hands on your abdomen and gently inhale while observing the movement of your hands;
2. Inhale and release the air slowly;
3. Inspirar hondo y elevate los arms, luego exhalar mientra baja los arms. To help, you can do it with one arm at a time;
4. Stretch your arms to the side and join the palms of your hands. Inhale deeply while opening the arms in the form of a cross. Liberar el aire mientras cierra los arms and joins the palms of the hands again, 5 times in a row.
5. Fill the mitad of a bottle of 1.5 L of water and place a pot. Inspirar hondo y liberate el aire por el popote, making bubbles in the water, 5 times in a row.

These are just a few examples of exercises. It is recommended that they are always indicated by a physical therapist in accordance with the needs of each person, especially when the person is unable to perform the movements by himself due to lack of strength in the muscles or when there is some neurological alteration involved, as may occur in un ACV, myasthenia or tetraplegia, for example.

When it is not necessary to carry out the exercises

It is contraindicated to perform the exercises when the person is in bed:

• I just ate, I could vomit;
• I have just taken some medication that causes drowsiness;
• Hold on tight, because these exercises could raise the temperature;
• Posse the pressure high or not regulated, it could go up even more;
• When the doctor does not authorize it for some other reason.

You should try to perform the exercises in the morning when the person is awake. On the other hand, if the pressure rises during exercises, it is necessary to stop and perform the first respiratory exercise until the pressure returns to its normal values.