1. Hi, I am Dr. Theresa Crytzer and I am a physical therapist and assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh. I work with Dr. Brad Dicianno, Dr. Amy Howtrow and Andrew McCoy to gather information about children and adults with spina bifida from clinics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. We hope that this information will lead to improvements in healthcare for people with spina bifida.

2. My goal as a researcher is to develop projects that find ways to improve exercise participation in people with disabilities. Research by Laurien Buffart and authors showed that people with SB engage in lower levels of physical activity compared to age matched peers without disabilities. She and her collegues found that a higher percentage of people with SB have > 2 risk factors for Cardiovascular disease.

3. These risk factors include factors such as decreased participation in physical activity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance. These factors are modifiable with exercise. In fact the Centers for Disease control recommends people with SCI exercise every other day for 20 minutes at moderate intensity.

4. People with SB often ask, if I can’t use my legs to exercise, what are some other ways to workout? There are many ways to engage in exercise that targets the upper body. Some outdoor activities that can increase aerobic fitness and be enjoyed with with friends and family members include: Swimming, kayaking, hand cycling, and wheelchair tennis. Indoor activities may include arm ergometry/Gamecycle™ or Krankcycling™, weight lifting, and rowing. Power soccer is also available for individuals who are power wheelchair users.

5. There are many more examples and explanation of each on the National Center for Physical Activity and Disability website ( To start an exercise program, see your doctor for clearance to start. Your doctor may recommend a graded maximal exercise test to make sure you are Ok to exercise or to find out your aerobic capacity, or your level physical fitness to give you a starting point for exercise.

6. One of our research projects at the University of Pittsburgh that was funded by the Spina Bifida Association and the Ashley Rose Foundation, is to determine whether it is the heart or the lungs that limit the ability of people with spina bifida to maximally exercise. We hope these results will help us in the future to design targeted exercise programs for adolescents and adults with SB in the future.

7. The key to exercise is to “just show up” and “get your heart rate up” for 20 minutes. Do some form of any exercise you enjoy at least every other day or more and you are taking steps to decrease cardiovascular disease risk. Plus you might start noticing that that you feel better, are stronger and more flexible, sleep better, and that you get through the day with less effort. Remember, JUST SHOW UP AND EXERCISE!