Adapted Physical Exercise
Adaptive physical fitness plans: the new LILT SPACE project promotes an indipendent healthy life through exercise therapy.
While it is true that the number of new cancer diagnoses has increased by 17% in the last 5 years, it is really comforting to know that survival has also increased: breast cancer, if promptly diagnosed, reaches 87% five-year survival after diagnosis and prostate cancer reaches as much as 91%.
What is still being talked about is the effectiveness of physical activity. First of all, in controlling risk factors and then reducing the likelihood of getting cancer as well as other chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s. In addition, for those who have already risk factors or have been diagnosed with a chronic disease, the management of these conditions becomes crucial when improving the life quality.
Project Objectives
Adapted Physical Exercise (i.e. specific to everyone’s age and health conditions) promotes the life quality improvement: the increase in physical activity, individually dosed and administered, facilitates a more active and independent lifestyle. It determines the physical-functional ability improvement (in general and especially in former cancer patients) such as aerobic capacity and muscle strength (being able to do daily activities without getting tired), joint mobility and flexibility ( have greater fluency in the shoulders, back, knees, etc.) and increase balance especially for those over 65 who have an increased risk of falls.
Who is it addressed to?
The project is aimed at all people with risk factors (high blood pressure, overweight, hypercholesterolaemia, impaired fasting glycaemia, dyslipidaemia, etc.), with a previous diagnosis of cancer, with one or more chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, chronic bronchitis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, solid organ transplants, etc.).
What is it about?
After a first specialist visit and functional assessment, useful to define what is appropriate to propose based on each person’s age, health and fitness conditions, the participants are treated through a personalised gym rehabilitation procedure of the minimum duration of 12 weeks, consisting of at least 2 sessions per week lasting 60′ each.
The sessions take place inside the LILT Space gym in small groups of 4/5 people and are supervised by a kinesiologist expert in gym health care exercise. Every 4 months a new functional assessment is carried out to verify the achievement of the proposed health goals and the increase in movements and gym skills.
Depending on each person’s case and needs, a complementary connection with the Nutrition & Dietetics Facility is assessed. Based on this knowledge and the numerous studies that support this evidence LILT Biella, using the LILT Space gym and Dr. Giuseppe Graziola fundamental collaboration, Head of Sports Medicine of ASL BI and Dr Giuliano. Scrivano, Kinesiologist specialist in Physical Exercise for Chronic Diseases (Exercise-Therapy), gave birth to the project of The Adapted Physical Exercise at LILT SPACE.
Access mode
Visits are on appointment. You can book your visit by filling in the form 24 hours a day or by calling LILT Biella on 0158352111 Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Doctors responsible for the LILT Space Adapted Physical Exercise Project:
Dott. Giuseppe Graziola
Specialista in Medicina dello Sport e Responsabile Medicina dello Sport ASL BI
1. Adapted Physical Exercise: What are the preliminary assessments for accessing the new service that LILT Biella has proposed?
The patient anamnestic evaluation, who intends to carry out an exercise adapted period, and his clinical history firstly combined with a specific questionnaire on his habits of practising physical activity. Then the subject functional evaluation through an effort test along with the oxygen consumption measurement, the electrocardiogram evaluation and the degree of effort adaptation. Finally, performing some tests of strength, elasticity and balance. Therefore, all parameters will be used for setting up a personalised and patient-sustainable exercise program and will provide health care professionals with the necessary tools for assessing the improvement of all these functions at the end of the three-month period.
2. Biella area, with its population, what benefits can it bring from this opportunity?
The opportunity is firstly to have a place and a space available for cancer patients, and in any case for all those suffering from chronic exercise-sensitive diseases (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis…). A place where to carry out individualised programs of adapted exercise, managed by qualified and specialised staff and set according to the most modern evidence-based medicine scientific literature on the subject.
Dr. Giuliano Scrivano
Exercise-Therapy certified Kinesiologist
1. . You are a kinesiologist specialised in Physical Exercise for chronic diseases: when is it good to think about Adapted Physical Exercise instead of referring to a simple gym? What are the activities of a kinesiologist in a project like this?
Humans are meant to move, and when they don’t do it enough, they lose health. Regardless the place where exercise is practised, it should always be adapted. Because there are no two equal human beings, therefore there can be no equal motor rehabilitation programs. Moreover, with a chronic disease! In short, the kinesiologist evaluates, designs and conducts individualised motor rehabilitation programs, just like a tailor does when he has to sew a bespoke suit…
2. For Biella the Adapted Physical Exercise project is a reality and a truly innovative experience; what about Italy?
Our country is finally realising that physical activity, scientifically dosed and administered, can be a really preventive and curative medicine. Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Lombardy, Umbria and Sicily are the regions where there are more consolidated experiences. We hope that Piedmont, thanks to this experience but not only, can soon be counted among the most cutting-edge regions in the use of exercise as a real therapy.
3. In your experience, what are the improvements that have made a difference to some of the people treated? Do you remember a case that affected you in a particular way because of the difference between before and after?
I have often met people who lived their bodies as a burden and not as an asset. But the body is our home in this world and therefore it is essential to take care of it! Rediscovering harmony with one’s own body is already a great achievement in terms of quality of life. Among the various cases, I remember people who were previously limited in simple activities such as household chores and dressing, and after they recovered these and other functions they improved their well-being not only physical, but also psychological and social.
Adapted Physical Exercise: gallery
