Living with limb loss can be challenging, but in today’s world, there’s a wealth of resources to make life easier and more productive for amputees.
This includes technology that helps you make the most of your prosthesis and create possibilities. Ottobock, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of prostheses, designed its Fitness for Amputees app (available in iTunes or Google Play) for people who want to keep in shape with a prosthetic device.
We downloaded the fitness app and decided to create a review of the app for our patients and others who are dealing with limb loss and want help staying in peak condition.
Overview
Fitness for Amputees was developed by therapists working with Ottobock and is designed primarily for lower limb amputees. The app is cleanly designed and easy to navigate, and consists of three modules:
- Strength and endurance
- Coordination and balance
- Stretch and relax
Each module contains exercises that were designed by physical therapists to develop each of those areas. And each module can be scaled up or down in difficulty.
When you select an area to work on, the app will take you through a series of exercises that range in duration and intensity. You can use their recommended settings or create your own.
The result is a fairly customizable program tailored to your personal preferences.
Key Features
The Fitness for Amputees app has several key features, including:
- 3 different types of exercises
- Customizable, individual programs
- User data that tracks statistics
- Four exercises per exercise area
As far as the exercises go, each of them is recommended and a good thing to do, but there’s not a lot of variety because each area only has four. However, it’s a great place to start, and for many users, four is enough to create a solid program.
User Interface
The user interface is clean, easy to navigate, and easy to use. The text is easy to read, and the app does a good job of explaining what to do, with sample videos for each exercise (plus music to go along with the timer):
Overall, the layout is simple yet elegant and user-friendly as well.
Should You Use It?
There are a few minor things we’d recommend to improve it, namely more diversity in exercises and just more exercises period, but overall, Ottobock’s Fitness for Amputees app is a winner. If you’re looking to build up strength, increase balance, or just stretch your muscles, the app is an easy way to go about it and is a terrific intro into more complicated or advanced physical therapy regimens you may participate in down the road.
Download the Fitness for Amputees App Here
BioTech Limb and Brace makes prosthetic and orthotic devices that take advantage of cutting-edge technology to put smiles on peoples’ faces. Learn more about our personable approach and how we help patients and their families thrive.