Just ask Bob Smeltzer, “I don’t remember much of that day.”
What Bob does remember isn’t good.
“I remember being in an ambulance, you know and getting to the hospital and stuff.”
Bob had suffered a stroke. He remained in the hospital for six weeks. Two years later, he is still recovering.
“There’s no left side as far as my brain’s concerned. There’s nothing here, nothing here.”
Bob has limited use of one side of his body.
“Getting through doorways, up and down stairs, everything’s a challenge, everything.”
The FES Bike makes it less of a challenge. Electrodes deliver an electrical current to the muscles that don’t voluntarily work anymore. Those muscles contract in a pattern that controls the FES Bike.
Trina Radske-Suchan, the Medical Director at the YMCA’s Healthy Living Center says people with Muscular Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, even spinal cord injuries can benefit from the bike.
“Anyone who has lost voluntary control of their legs or their arms or is experiencing weakness in those areas… and it also brings back sensation. So people who have lost sensation they’re starting to feel again in those areas.”
Bob bikes about seven or eight miles at a time. It’s not easy, but it helps – with the physical aspects of his disability and his overall wellbeing.
“The intensity is high enough they will actually see the benefits of exercise,” says Trina. “It gets the heart rate up, produces endorphins, which are what make you feel good when you exercise.”
Bob says he’s seen a difference.
“I’ve been very impressed.”
