A long time ago, I shattered my lower leg in a skiing accident. I hobbled around on crutches for five miserably uncomfortable months, counting down the days until the cast would be cut off. And when that much-anticipated moment arrived at last, I thought my trials were over. But they were just beginning. My leg, weakened by months of enforced inactivity, could barely support my weight, and my knee often buckled without warning, tumbling me unceremoniously to the ground. I needed physical therapy, but—this was America, remember—my parents couldn’t afford to pay for it. So I was left to do what I could on my own. Luckily, I owned a bike, and it turned out that I could ride for miles without pain, even though I could only walk a few yards.

Now, many years on, the medical profession is coming round to the notion that cycling can improve the lives of people with profoundly impaired mobility—as this short video of a man with advanced Parkinson’s disease illustrates. He can hardly take a single step unaided, but he can still ride a bike, confidently and competently. Is there a lesson to be learned here? I think there might be.

 

Send a Comment