OUR FAVORITE
SCI Rehab Props & Equipment
to support alignment, offer sensory inputs, offer freedom of movement,
give feedback & facilitate kinesthetic learning
When the body is supported,
it feels safe & free to move with ease.
We don’t shy away from equipment that creates an environment for motor learning after SCI.
Carefully placed support can make all the difference for reconnecting.
Please note: we may receive a small affiliate earning on purchases made through the provided links. Thank you for supporting our program!
At-home Essentials
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9" squish ball
An absolute must for hip mobility, core exercises and spine support.
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4" soft release ball
Nourish your tissues, including your nerves, with this SOFT release ball.
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Small Loop Band
Great for quick shoulder strengthening exercises.
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Dycem
Grippy squares to help plant hands during push-up-type exercises and feet in bridging-type exercises.
Also available in rolls and larger mats. Search DYCEM on Amazon.
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Resistance Bands w/ clips - full kit
Includes: bands, clips, velcro cuffs, handles and door anchor.
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Wall Anchor for bands & straps
Anchor points for bands on your wall provide a ready and reliable option for band work.
See Door Anchor for non-invasive band anchor option.
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Band Door Anchor
Anchor bands without damaging the walls.
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Velcro cuff set
Anchor your bands in different places to focus on specific muscle groups.
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Sliders
Great for reducing friction or adding a stability challenge. Works on hard floors or carpet (not a yoga mat).
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Mop/Dowel
For ‘landmine press’ inspired upper body exercises to strength triceps and chest muscles for cervical level SCI athletes.
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Large floor mat
Big enough for rolling exercises, and soft enough to protect skin and cushion joints. Comes in 4×6, 4×8 or 4×10 feet.
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Small box
A quick way to safe-guard your knees in quadruped and kneeling exercises.
Portable to bring with you for quick floor transfers.
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Large box
Great for floor transfers.
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Pelvic Prop
Support pelvic position with this easy prop. This can also be used to relieve wrist pain during quadruped exercises.
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Peanut ball
Drape over the ball to stretch your back and hamstrings, or do prone core exercises.
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Foam Roller - sliced
This sliced foam roller is great for stretching shoulders and challenging core stability. Watch this videos for a few ideas.
Mobility & Stretching tools
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4" soft release ball
Nourish your tissues, including your nerves, with this SOFT release ball.
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6" hard release ball
Tap into tighter areas, like the neck and shoulders, with this higher density ball.
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Yoga Tune Up Balls
The perfect density for foot release and trigger points.
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NABOSO Toe Splays
Stretch your toes and widen your feet for better balance, proprioception and hip activation.
Get 10% off with checkout code ZEBRAFISH
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Silicone Cupping Set
Bring relief to entraped nerves and blood vessels by decompressing the surrounding tissues.
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Massage gun
An affordable alternative to the name brands.
Helpful tools for Independence & Rehab
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Portable Floor lift
$340
Battery powered & easily folds for travel or storage! Great for those with decent trunk control.
Weight limit: 330 pounds
Search FLOOR LIFT on Amazon for plenty of options
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Power Dot E-Stim Unit: TENS & NMES
$399 for pair of electrodes
With Bluetooth technology, stimulate your muscles with powerful electrical inputs, all from your phone.
A great alternative to FES bikes.
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Thigh Lifter Straps
$20 for 2
Easier grabs for moving legs around.
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Pulley System
$10
While one arm pulls the strap, the other arm is assisted in an overhead reach. Great for cervical level SCI athletes looking for independent overhead stretching and movement.
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Grip Gloves: Active Hands
$100 each
Gripping aid for wrapping hands around bars, handles, etc.
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Hooks: Active Hands
$115 for a pair
Hooks enable you to independently grip and release equipment: bars, handles
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Stretching/pull strap
$10
For independently stretching hamstrings or for use in rolling over.
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Air Casts/Splints
Helpful for those looking to straighten elbows against contractures, or support the elbow joint in extension during upper body weight-bearing activities.
These were recommended by a Physical Therapist
Tools for Remote Coaching
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Phone tripod (flexible)
Tripods allow you to tip down your device without it toppling over!
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Tablet Tripod
Tripods allow you to tip down your device without it toppling over!
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Wireless headphones
To prevent Zoom from suppressing YOUR voice when you are backed away from the computer, use wireless headphones so I can hear you clearly no matter where you are and where your head is turned.
NABOSO: Sensory & Proprioceptive support
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NABSOS Sensory Mat
Stimulate and activate the nerves in your feet and hands for full integration.
Get 10% off with code ZEBRAFISH
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NABOSO sensory insoles
Stimulate the bottom of your feet with these textured insoles, placed directly in your shoe.
Get 10% off with checkout code ZEBRAFISH
Textured socks and sandals are also available.
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Sensory Sticks: 2lb weights
$90 per pair
These sticks have amazing design from the curve & texture to the weight (2lbs) that feels so grounding during gait and balance exercises.
Get 10% off with code ZEBRAFISH
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NABOSO Neuro Ball
Sensory release ball for the feet & hands.
The more your feet can sense, the better your body will respond to environmental stimuli.
Watch this video for more information on sensory training after paralysis.
Get 10% off at checkout with code ZEBRAFISH.
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Spike Ball
A budget-friendly alternative to NABOSO Neuro Ball.
Pilates Equipment
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Pilates springs
Robust support and resistance.
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Spring Board with push through bar
Take up less space with a wall unit.
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Tower-on-the-go
Easy, versatile, and affordable band anchoring system for home use.
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CoreAlign Gait Training system
Train gait, in supine, seated, kneeling and standing positions.
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Cadillac / Trapeze Table
Versatile suspension system takes the load off the trainer and back on the client.
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Pilates Chair
Healthy back extensions and leg work.
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Reformer
Dynamic challenges for the intermediate/advanced SCI athlete
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Konnector: 4-limb reciprocation system
Add onto your reformer an extra set of straps, for a 4-strap system designed to train gait and reciprocation.
Stock your Studio
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NABOSO Wedges
Great for supporting pelvic posture, foot posture and so many other uses.
Use ZEBRAFISH at checkout for 10% off your order.
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Y-loops
A great way to support the ankle and provide closed-chain feedback.
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Padded Loops
High-quality, soft canvas loops (optional padding). Tons of uses!
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Velcro cuffs
For thighs, ankles, upper arms & wrists.
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Posture & Bridging sling
Take the pressure off with dynamic spring support using the sling for bridging and posture exercises.
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Small boxes
Perfect for a variety of uses, including creating closed-chain feedback.
Watch this video on the importance of “grounding” exercises in SCI rehab.
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Pilates Dowel
Different grab bar, vs. handles or cuffs.
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Rotator discs
Challenge staility or create awarness and flexibility in the shoulder and hip rotator cuffs.
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Resistance bands - flat
Easy affordable bands. Tie loops on either end - slip hands through the loops for easy set-up for quadraplegics.
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Power Bands
Great for supporting hips and creating compression.
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Carabiners
For everything.
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Boxes for transfer practice
Soft plyo boxes of various heights give clients ‘stepping blocks’ down from and up to the wheelchair.
Reference Books
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From the Ground Up: human powered healing for SCI recovery
By Stephanie Comella & Theo St. Francis
From the Ground Up was co-written by someone with an SCI and his trainer, for individuals with spinal cord injury and movement professionals, offering a unique collaboration of perspectives on the SCI recovery process.
Use this guide to create and implement effective SCI rehab programs for yourself or your clients, no matter what level or severity of injury.
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Body by Breath
By Jill Miller
Breath becomes compromised by stress, disease, and the environmental trappings of progress; you can still breathe under this pressure, but it leads to poor breathing habits that slowly whittle away at your health. Jill Miller takes you on a journey through your breathing body and presents more than 100 step-by-step techniques and practices to help you master the body-breath connection and reset your physiology.
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Principles of Movement
By Brent Anderson
From the founder of Polestar Pilates, Principles of Movement is a practical resource guide on movement science for movement practitioners, therapists, and anyone looking for a practical and easy approach to assess, facilitate, and enhance movement.
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Making Connections: Bartenieff Fundamentals
By Peggy Hackney
Explore how we go about creating the connections within us that allow us to become fully embodied human beings in the world. It provides some very personal memories of Irmgard Bartenieff and the development of her approach to Fundamentals.
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Pilates: mat & apparatus
By Rael Isacowitz
Pilates starts with the foundation for all the exercises by presenting an in-depth treatment of mat work, including photos, imagery, and detailed instruction on breathing to help you perform the movements correctly. After the mat work, Pilates goes on to apply the same depth of instruction and photos to the full range of Pilates apparatus:
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Fascial Release for Structural Balance
By Thomas Myers and James Earls
Designed for any bodywork practitioner using manual therapy, including physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, myofascial and trigger point therapists, and massage therapists, this book offers a detailed introduction to structural anatomy and fascial release therapy, including postural analysis, complete technique descriptions, and the art of proper assessment of a patient through “bodyreading.”
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Born to Walk
By James Earls
Explore the mystery of walking’s evolution by describing the complex mechanisms enabling us to be efficient in bipedal gait. Viewing the whole body as an interconnected unit, he explains how we can regain a flowing efficiency within our gait—an efficiency which is part of our natural design.
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What the Foot?
By Gary Ward
A Game-Changing Philosophy in Human Movement to Eliminate Pain and Maximise Human Potential
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Pilates for Health Conditions
A comprehensive reference designed for Pilates teachers, movement educators, manual therapists, continuing education providers and teachers-in-training.
Stephanie Comella is a contributing author on the chapter exploring Pilates for Spinal Cord Injuries.
Downloads
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ANS Questionnaire
The link below takes you to a VIEWING of the Questionnaire. Make a copy in your own Google Drive to manipulate.
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BrainSpeed Posters
