Cycling even with a broken bone or a torn ligament - the rehab tricycle for adults.
Broken bone or torn ligament
BIf a bone is broken or a ligament is torn, the injured leg must be immobilized for weeks. Sports such as jogging and cycling are out of the question. There are hardly any opportunities to do endurance or fitness training.
Except with the rehab tricycle. Our tricycle for adults allows you to maintain and even improve your fitness. We'll show you how to do this here.
The rehab tricycle for adults with broken bones or torn ligaments
The rehab tricycle has an arm drive in addition to the leg drive. The patient sits in the rehab tricycle and pedals with the healthy leg and arms. This gives him roughly the same propulsion power as with two healthy legs. This has enormous advantages. Firstly, he can save himself an electric motor, as his additional arm strength gives him enough propulsion. Secondly, his cardiovascular system also gets going. If he had an e-bike, he could only propel himself with one leg. The fitness effect is very small. With the rehab tricycle, he propel himself with two arms and one leg. This is quite a large muscle mass that needs to be supplied with oxygen when riding the rehab tricycle. The oxygen requirement of the large muscle mass in turn trains the cardiovascular system. You maintain your fitness or even increase it. And all this while you heal from an injury, such as a broken bone or torn ligament. The injured or broken leg lies in a leg rest and is thus immobilized. Alternatively, we have special leg freewheel cranks, the so-called "extreme" leg cranks. With these extreme cranks you can drive with one leg or with both legs. This means that - for example, in the case of a broken bone - the injured leg can be immobilized while the healthy leg can drive. We can determine whether the leg rest or the extreme cranks are the better alternative for your injury on the rehab tricycle in a discussion with you and your doctor. We would be happy to advise you.
Interview with Manuela from Ingelheim - Reha tricycle: Type Varibike
Since when have you been riding the Varibike recumbent bike?
I have been riding the Varibike since summer 2022
How did you come up with the idea of buying the adult tricycle?
In an accident, I broke my leg several times and tore the ligaments in my knee. At first, that meant a wheelchair and then I had to use crutches. No matter where I wanted to go, I had to be driven or I would have to spend ages on a 500 m ride. It was horrific! As a passionate cyclist, I missed nature, speed, and air. Then I remembered Gabi Reichert, whose blog I have always followed with interest. She had a similar accident and then rode a recumbent bike. After a second accident, she switched to the Varibike tricycle. Since Gabi only lives two towns away, my husband and I drove over and inspected the Varibike. I took it for a test ride straight away. The grin that I always have when I cycled immediately came back to my face. It felt so good to be able to move myself again.
Would you have bought the tricycle without a test drive?
Mmh - good question. I probably would have done a lot of research on the internet and looked for reports from people who had experience with the Varibike. Maybe I would have driven to Martin in Ulm and taken a look at it. But thank God the decision to buy it was made much quicker.
How long did it take you to be able to ride the Varibike recumbent tricycle?
Not very long. My desire to be able to get out and about again was so great that I got the hang of it very quickly. I don't find it that difficult. The only thing that took some getting used to was that I didn't have to use the motor to climb the hill at home. But while my e-bike motor used to help me up the hill, my arms do it now.
Do you feel safe about this?
Yes, very safe. I haven't been on a normal bike yet. I'm still too scared of that. I'm already sitting firmly and safely on the Varibike recumbent bike. I've also soon been able to do without the stabilizers that were there at the beginning.
Did the Varibike help you to get your knee and ankle mobile again?
There's no question about it - without the Varibike tricycle I wouldn't be where I am today. Every time I go out with it, I notice a significant improvement in my walking. Both my physiotherapist and my doctor are always amazed at how well I can walk again.
Do you now have more muscles in your arms and stomach? Do you feel anything there?
Ha, ha - not so much in my stomach. But that's because I've never done much for my abdominal muscles. There's still a lot of room for improvement. I've noticed a clear improvement in my arms. And also in my shoulder, which had been causing problems for a while.
Why didn’t this work with a normal e-bike?
The drive on a normal bike is simply not designed for the arm and leg muscles. And it is tempting to use the motor for support.
How often do you ride the Varibike?
As often as possible. Now that it's brighter and warmer again, I use the Varibike for every journey I have to make.
Do you ride the Varibike tricycle faster than a normal bike?
No. Not yet. The emphasis is on “yet”. After all, I can really move my arms and legs.
What do you think is the special fun factor of the Varibike with the Extreme cranks?
The different types of drive are fun for me. I especially like the fact that I can change them again and again.
Which type of drive was more difficult for you at first? Or were they all the same?
At the beginning, my bad knee was still complaining, so I rode "one legged". Later, it was the rowing mode that showed me where I still needed to build up abdominal muscles. I prefer to ride with alternating legs and parallel arms
Do you often switch between drive types?
All the time. It's just so much fun to ride with just one leg or just one arm.
What advantages do the Extreme Pedals have for you?
The most important advantage is that I was able to rest my injured leg for a while. Funnily enough, the leg felt better when it was just resting on the pedal while the other leg was pedaling. I know this effect from yoga. If I can't do exercises and then practice them in my head, the body parts will eventually be able to do the movement anyway.
What have you been able to achieve for yourself through Varibiking?
To finally be mobile again. I have also lost the fear of having to have an artificial joint fitted straight away. As long as my leg muscles are being built up, I will be spared this operation.
Do people look when you ride the Varibike?
Of course. Everyone looks at it. It's fun, of course. And it's always a nice way to start a conversation.
Do you have any tips for Varibike beginners?
Just try it out and do a few laps with it. And ask your city or municipality if you can get a cargo bike subsidy. With a large box on the back of the axle, you can easily move 40 kg of luggage. That also gives you more muscle.
We adapt the rehab tricycle to the type of injury you have
The rehabilitation tricycle for adults is very suitable for people with torn ligaments or broken bones.
We adapt the rehab tricycle specifically to your injury. We have the right accessories, e.g. special
Freewheel cranks, leg rests, etc. which we attach to the rehab tricycle so that the injured leg is immobilized.
Just give us a call. We bFeel free to guess.
