We’re excited to announce that we’re partnering with NextStep Fitness in support of their Snow2Sand Charity Bike Race. The goal of being a sponsor for this event with NextStep is to raise enough funding to provide healthcare resources for people with paralysis. For anyone with paralysis, maintaining a healthy lifestyle isn’t just about keeping fit. It’s also essential for them to ward off any secondary complications. Beyond having the necessary medical care, it’s also key for people with paralysis to have the rehabilitation facilities and equipment that they need.
The Problem With Healthcare For Paralysis
Without the right tools, people with paralysis don’t have or can’t afford the resources they need to lead healthy and injury-free lives. About 6 million people have paralysis in the United States. For people with spinal cord injuries, they can incur up to $800,000 in medical expenses their first year of recovery. The Snow2Sand Charity Bike Race is aimed to spread awareness and raise funding to address the lack of resources and access many people with paralysis face. The team of bikers and medical support crew, led by paralyzed athlete Mike Murphy and retired USMC Sergeant Brendan O’Toole, are biking 1,300 miles in 8 days from Colorado to California.
Building Better Better Quality Of Life
NextStep was founded based on the fact that there weren’t many progressive rehabilitation centers for people with paralysis to go to. At the time, there were no centers in California and no centers with locomotor training at all in the United States. Most people with paralysis will have direct rehabilitation for 3 to 6 months with a physical therapist after being injured. Afterwards, they’ll have to continue to manage any secondary complications for the rest of their lives. These include pulmonary and cardiovascular issues such as sudden instances of high blood pressure (autonomic dysreflexia) or blood clots (deep vein thrombosis). Having the resources to keep active to combat the loss of muscle function and atrophy in your body keeps these conditions from developing. NextStep Fitness has made this possible by providing a variety of resources such as specialized adaptive equipment, Locomotor Training, and functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling.
Support The Biking Team & Crew
A main mission of Therapydia is to have people of all injuries moving better and integrating wellness and activity into their lifestyles. Sponsoring Snow2Sand helps us expand those values into the paralyzed community as well. We’ll also have a member of our team along for the ride to Los Angeles as well. One of our Therapydia Denver physical therapists, Casey, will be a part of the medical support team during the 8 day ride. Let’s help the biking team have the best send-off possible before their 1,300 mile journey!
