Advice after your nerve block for surgery
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Intention of use
The exercise bike is to only be used for general exercise, including: Cardiovascular fitness, mobility & movement.
Safety Tips when using the bike:
- Keep all loose clothing and shoelaces away from the pedals.
- Appropriate footwear must be worn.
- Always be careful when mounting and dismounting the exercise bike.
- Do not raise or lower seat while sitting on the seat.
- Only ride at a pace you are comfortable with and know you can handle. Do not overexert yourself. (Remember you are in a hospital – not a gym).
- Stay within your specific heart rate % zone and oxygen saturation levels and or BORG zone. A member of the Physiotherapy team will discuss and work this out for you.
Instructions for use
- A member of the Physiotherapy team will adjust the bike’s seat / handlebars where needed so you won’t need to adjust anything once it’s set up. If you do require anything to be changed then please let us know and we will change it over for you.
- Once adjusted, pop yourself onto the seat and place your feet in the pedals. Gently start to pedal and make sure your legs have enough range (around 110º). Your knees should have a small bend to them. They should NOT be locked out, nor should be fully flexed while pedalling.
• Once comfortable – ideally perform a 5-minute warm up with the resistance and speed on a low level.
• Once ready you can adjust the speed and resistance where needed. You can follow your own session, or you can follow a programme that is already pre-set on the bike.
Things to remember
- Have the emergency nurse assistance button near you in case you require it while on the bike.
- You will be shown how to use the finger pulse on the obs machine in your room if you have been advised to monitor your HR and SpO2.
- If your SpO2% drop below 90%, please stop and give yourself time to recover. If it does not return back to its baseline, then inform a member of staff straight way.
- If monitoring your heart rate and it goes above the target given, please slow down and allow your heart rate to return to the zone you should be working in.
- If you require Oxygen while performing exercise, please inform a member of staff so they can help with the set up before you start.
- If you start to feel any pain, please stop and inform a member of staff.
- If you have an injury, any joint pain please inform the Physiotherapist before you use the bike.
- If you start to feel faint or dizzy, slow down and come to a stop. Stay on the bike for a moment until you feel able to come off. Please inform a member of staff straight away.
- Please make sure you keep yourself hydrated throughout the session and have water nearby.
- You should not exercise if you feel acutely unwell.
- You should not exercise within one hour of eating.
- Have any relieve inhalers to hand in case you need to use them.
- Always warm up before your exercise session and cool down and stretch afterwards.
- If your BMI is low (less than 18) the exercise practitioner will speak with the dietitian before exercise on the bike can commence.
Acknowledgement
You are free to the use the bike as much as you like during your admission here on G1. We will always encourage movement and some form of exercise during your admission if you are well enough to do so.
You will not be supervised by a member of staff while using the bike (unless you have a specific exercise session with the Physiotherapy Team which involves the exercise bike.)
If you have any questions or queries about the bike, then please let a member of the Physiotherapy team know.
Safety Advise for Exercise
WHEN TO STOP EXERCISE & INFORM A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL:
- onset of Chest, arm or jaw pain
- unexplained pains in limbs
- sudden shortness of breath
- bruising, redness or swelling in one limb
- onset of fever
- feeling cold or clammy
- new pain
WHEN TO DELAY EXERCISE:
- nausea and /or vomiting.
- recent bone, back or neck pain
- new /increased joint pain
- persistent headaches
- fever
WHEN TO REFER TO A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BEFORE RESUMING EXERCISE:
- any changes to medical status
- not given chemotherapy due to low blood count
- not given biological therapy due to low ejection fraction
- irregular heartbeat
- extreme fatigue (symptom of anaemia)
- unusual sudden one-sided muscular weakness
- bleeding from any source
Planning
At any stage of your cancer journey, it is important to build up to your previous level of exercise gradually, especially if you are experiencing fatigue.
If you are experiencing cancer treatment related fatigue, please speak with your cancer nurse or therapist for support with this.
It is also important to start with light to moderate intensity exercise and avoid vigorous exercise until recommended.
When you first return to exercise, you will need to find the correct level to work at.
To start with, we advise that you reduce your usual time, resistance and intensity of exercise. You can then gradually increase as able.
You can use the tables in this leaflet to plan and record how you will grade your return to exercise. You can also set goals to work towards.
Intensity
The talk test is a simple and helpful guide to measure how hard you are working.
If you can talk but not sing, then it is likely you are doing moderate-intensity activity.
If you’re doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.
If being active for at least 150 minutes every week sounds like a lot, it’s important to remember that making any increase in your daily activity levels can make a difference. Even small bite-sized chunks of physical activity for five minutes spread throughout the day counts.
As well as moving more, it’s important to limit the time spent being sedentary. This means not sitting or lying down more than necessary, when not sleeping. If you are sedentary, try to break up periods of inactivity with light physical activity.
Monitoring yourself during exercise
It is important to monitor your body’s response to exercise so that you know when you have reached the recommended level of activity.
Moderate activity is different for everyone dependent on personal fitness levels.
The talk test below helps you monitor how you feel during exercise and whether you have achieved light, moderate or vigorous level of exercise.
BORG rating of perceived exertion
|
Rating of perceived exertion |
Perceived Exertion |
|
1 |
Very Light Activity Hardly any exertion, but more than sleeping, watching TV, etc |
|
2-3 |
Light activity Feels like you can maintain for hours. Easy to breathe and carry a conversation. |
|
4-6 |
Moderate Activity Breathing heavily, can hold a short conversation. Still somewhat comfortable, but becoming noticeably more challenging. |
|
7-8 |
Vigorous Activity Borderline uncomfortable. Short of breath, can speak a sentence. |
|
9 |
Very Hard Activity Very difficult to maintain exercise intensity. Can barely breathe and speak only a few words. |
|
10 |
Max Effort Activity Feels almost impossible to keep going. Completely out of breath, unable to talk. Cannot maintain for more than a very short time. |
Contact us
If you have any queries relating to this information, please contact the Physiotherapy service.
About this information
Service:
Physiotherapy
Reference:
BB/096
Approval date:
31 January 2025
Review date:
1 January 2028
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Important note
This page provides general information only. It is developed by clinical staff and is reviewed regularly every 3 years for accuracy. For personal advice about your health, or if you have any concerns, please speak to your doctor.