Wellness for Life
Wellness is a vital part of everyone’s life, and thanks to a grant through the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, the SCSCIA is better able to assist individuals with SCI by providing opportunities to participate in wellness classes, adaptive sports, webinars, and others. So, this is how it works:
If you would like to try a wellness activity, then contact us through this link: https://angelarodriguez.wufoo.com/forms/qpitwqi1kqjdk8/. We will pay for your FIRST session of massage, acupuncture, nutrition counseling, fitness evaluation, etc.
If you have a a on-going wellness class your would like to take or need registration to join a wellness activity, give us a call at (803) 252-2198. We will discuss with you what this may look like.
If in doubt, please call or email angela@scspinalcord.org.
Take a look below. There may be some activities that you didn’t even know you wanted to do yet.
Mental Health
https://www.takingthefirststep.net/about-dr-fields
http://www.lowcountrypastoral.org/tenelle-jones-lmft/
http://www.brittanysingleton.org/
https://sprc.org/
https://palmettobehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=Google-Business-Yext&utm_medium=organic
Nutrition Resources
Stephen Guyenet, PhD https://www.stephanguyenet.com/resources/
James Clear (author of atomic habits) https://jamesclear.com/goals-systems
Joy Bauer, RDN https://joybauer.com/healthy-recipe/recipes-index/
Dietitians locally https://brittanyjonesrd.com/
Articles:
https://www.nutrition.va.gov/docs/UpdatedPatientEd/NutritionandSCI01-15.pdf
https://livingwithsci.ca/nutrition/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7983636/pdf/i1082-0744-27-1-100.pdf
Physical Wellness
General Exercise Information
• ICORD (https://icord.org/parc/exercise-resources/): Evidence-based guidelines with a link to a user-friendly explanation of the guidelines
• Physiopedia (https://www.physio- pedia.com/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_for_Spinal_Cord_Injury; https://www.physio-pedia.com/Physical_Activity_for_Spinal_Cord_Injury): Evidence-based guidelines; information on benefits, recommendations, and strategies
• Shepherd Center (https://www.myshepherdconnection.org/sci/home-exercises): Evidence-based guidelines, recommendations, handouts, videos, and information on equipment
• SCIRE (https://scireproject.com/community/topic/exercise-guidelines/): Canadian guidelines for community, links to educational resources
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/brycelab/adaptive-and-inclusive-home-workouts-guide/): Evidence-based guidelines, recommendations, videos, and live virtual classes
Specific Exercises Resources
• PARC (ICORD) YouTube Page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvZY8eLLlHWMrYIHtqq1x1w/videos?view_as=subscriber): Exercise videos useful for people with SCI of varying abilities without assistance and with minimal equipment
• Shepherd Center (https://www.myshepherdconnection.org/sci/home-exercises): Evidenced-based guidelines, recommendations, handouts, videos, and information on equipment
• The University of British Columbia (https://sciguidelines.ubc.ca/resources/resources-for-people-with-sci/): Physical activity examples, videos, home exercises, sports resources, manuals geared toward people with paraplegia and tetraplegia
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/brycelab/adaptive-and-inclusive-home-workouts-guide/): Evidenced-based guidelines, recommendations, videos, live virtual classes
• NCHPAD (https://www.nchpad.org/discoverfitness/files/inc/084021749b.pdf, https://www.nchpad.org/fppics/Life%20on%20Wheels%20final%20version%20web.pdf): Manuals geared toward wheelchair users and inclusive fitness
Exercise Guidelines
• Evidence Based Guidelines: https://sciguidelines.ubc.ca/
Massage Therapy
Articles:
https://www.spinalcord.com/blog/benefits-of-massage-for-sci-patients
https://robcornett.com/spinal-cord-injury-massage-therapy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9683994/pdf/ijtmb-15-3.pdf
Massage therapy clinics in Columbia, SC
https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=massage_therapy&find_loc=Columbia%2C+SC
Sexual Health
Websites on Sexuality and SCI
Sex Love and Intimacy after SCI: https://www.sexualitysci.org
Sexuality and Sexual Function after SCI: https://msktc.org/sci/factsheets/sexuality
https://www.uab.edu/medicine/sci/daily-living/sexuality-a-sexual-function
Sex and Fertility Information for SCI: https://facingdisability.com/resources/sex-and-fertility
Conversations from Bedroom: Sex after SCI: https://vimeo.com/35081069?
Sex and Intimacy Webinar
Bowel Health
Everybody Poops Webinar
Employment and Wellness
1. Financial benefits
It sounds obvious, but that’s because it’s a simple truth with employment.
Once you have a job and earn money, you’ll have more opportunities to acquire the things you want or need – including things to improve your comfort and quality of your life, greater independence, and access to better physical health.
With better finances, you’ll also be able to improve your housing or accommodation arrangements or improve family situations.
2. Emotional wellbeing
If you have a spinal disorder, your physical comfort and wellness might be compromised. Especially if you’re regularly managing restrictions with movement and physical pain.
For this reason, taking steps to maintain your emotional health and a positive mindset is important for your general wellbeing.
Having a job can definitely help. Employment creates an opportunity for you to focus on your capabilities and what you CAN do.
This gives us a sense of independence, pride and accomplishment – which all adds to a healthier mindset.
We’ve seen first-hand how this helps people like you to wake up feeling happier and encouraged about your day ahead.
The fulfilment in knowing you are helping others and finishing a day’s work can bring a real sense of achievement that builds up your confidence and sense of self-worth.
Finding a job can also improve your social life and provide the opportunity to be part of team, make new friends, and engage in work-place activities and events.
3. Improve your skills and knowledge
If you have a back injury or spinal disorder, there are jobs out there for you that allow you to use your previous experience.
However, there’s no reason why with the help of Disability Employment Services, you can’t consider learning new skills and try adapting into a new line of work.
Wherever you’re at in your career, working with an employment consultant to find a job can lead to reaching your career goals.
Whether that’s a role where you are making a difference in your community, becoming more senior or expert in your field, or simply just finding a rewarding and enjoyable workplace.
Work can constitute a source of finance, it balances the time during the day, it is the foundation for new social relations, it can be a source of satisfaction and self-actualization [11]. Engaging people with disability into the occupational activation represents a very important element of the rehabilitation. Work allows disables people to realize three significant determinants of their lives: financial, rehabilitation and social. Work has a crucial role for building their own image of themselves, the acceptance; it can give a meaning to their lives. In addition, employment prevents social exclusion [1].