I had all sorts of encouragement to get an electric scooter to give me mobility and freedom, but I resisted. Why? Because while I am struggling to spin those wheels around on my chair, I am making my heart beat and blood flow. It is hard on my husband, as he gets funny looks from people because he stands back and lets me do my thing in the wheelchair, and only helps when I ask or seem to be in danger.

Exercise falls into three groups.

• Physio
• Personal
• Day-to-Day activity

After the amputation you will be given varying exercise routines to help you develop parts of the body that you will need to aid your mobility and also maintain and improve health and healing. Exercising the stump is vital to prompt it's healing and for those who have suffered long-term chronic illness it will help to develop muscles and joints that have not been used properly.

Lying on back

• Tighten thigh muscles and lift leg up a few inches. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat with stump
• Place cushion under stump and press down with stump. Hold & Relax
• Lift leg and swing to side, repeat with stump
• Bend knee, place foot flat on floor and lift bottom. pause and lower
• Bend knee and lift leg onto chest, repeat with stump
• Cycling in the air with both legs

Lying on side

• Raise stump towards ceiling and gently lower
• Rotate stump backwards as far as possible and return

Standing between Parallel bars

• Lift stump forwards, backwards and sideways - 10 times
• As above, only pause for 5 seconds at each point

I bought myself a set of hand dumbbells, just the polythene type in three sizes. First tip, is do not try to go for the heaviest. The ones I generally use are 2 Kg and provide a reasonable level of resistance. Having manoeuvred my body from my chair to the floor, I turn up the volume on the stereo with some lively music (ELO is a favourite) and then set to into my routine. It is a good idea to lock the door, as otherwise you get family members walking in while you are singing you heart out and oblivious to the fact that they are there watching you. Another tool I use is the Dyna-band, which is a large strip of rubber that is colour coded to suit it's strength and comes in three levels.

Sitting

• Loop the Dyna-band under your foot and do pulling exercises for your arms.

Lying on your back

• With leg bent and Dyna-band under foot, straighten leg against the pressure of the band.
• Hold the Dyna-band in both hands with one arm on the floor and the other in the middle of your
  chest. Now pull the hand from the chest and extend the arm ten times, repeat with other arm.
• Out-stretch arms to the side with dumbbell in hand. Now lift by bending at elbow.
• Out-stretch arms above head with dumbbell in hand. Now lift using shoulder joint with straight arm.

Various daily activities help increase physical strength

• Ironing, though boring makes you move your waist, exercising back and waist muscles
• Mopping the floor from a wheelchair, this also exercises waist and back
• Gardening from a wheelchair with long handled tools 
• Propelling a self propelled wheelchair develops arms and shoulders and
  exercises lung and heart