Parallel Bar

Parallel bar exercises for physical therapy can help the patients when going through rehabilitation after a serious injury, stroke or other brain injury. The parallel bars are a great way to help you build strength and increase mobility in their legs and lower body.

1. Balance with help from the parallel bars. The first exercises in parallel bar physical therapy promotes basic balance while standing. Grip the bars on either side and lift the patient up from the  seat or wheelchair. Then, try to stand for a few minutes straight. If they don’t have that much balance and strength, try to stand for at least 30 seconds at a time. This exercise will help the patient get used to how it feels to stand on their own.

1. Start walking forward. Physical therapy parallel bars are also used to help patients regain basic mobility, such as walking. Again, grip the side bars with each to help steady themselves . Then, take a step forward. A board can be placed in between the parallel bars near the feet to help guide  if necessary. At first, try to get at least a few steps, concentrating on balance and moving forward and using the upper body strength.

1. Use the parallel bars to help   turn around. This parallel bar exercise for physical therapy will help   regain some coordination. The process of turning around will require the patient to let go of the parallel bars for a second or two. This means they need to already have the strength and balance in the legs to stand up on  own during that time.

1. Start moving faster. Once they master the techniques listed, they can start increasing the speed on the parallel bars. A speed exercise can be as simple as a brisk walk, or in some cases a normal pace. This exercise will help prepare them for walking with an aid, such as a walker or walking cane, and help to wean off of using the parallel bars to move.