The man learning to walk again with rehab and gym training
Tell us a little more about yourself
I’m Egert Puusepp, a 23-year-old man with a mobility disability, and I live in Tallinn. I grew up in a family of four with my mother, father and older sister. I went to school in Nõmme, then studied business management at Mainor University of Applied Sciences and IT at Tallinn University. I’d also spent a long time doing graphic design as a hobby, so when a job opportunity came up, I decided to work as a designer.
I worked there until the accident that changed my life. Finding work isn’t easy for me at the moment, but I’m still putting time into finding a job in graphic design or another suitable field that I can fit around rehabilitation and training. I haven’t ruled out returning to university someday, but time will tell.
What sports did you do before?
Before the accident, my favorite sporting activities were running, basketball and going to the gym, but my biggest passion was snowboarding, which I’d been doing for 13 years. In winter, I spent almost every spare moment riding, taking photos and filming. I’d probably still be doing it if things hadn’t turned out the way they did. In summer, I also rode a longboard for fun. It gave me a sense of freedom and, after the short winter, made me feel as though I was still on a snowboard.
What changed your life, and where are you now?
My life changed on 19 February 2012, when I went to a spot near the Tall Hermann tower in Tallinn’s Old Town that I’d had my eye on for a long time, to snowboard and film. The aim was to jump from a high platform over some stairs onto a prepared landing area.
Unfortunately, I approached the jump with too much speed and overshot the landing area. The impact was so severe that I broke my spine and “flew” straight to the hospital. After the accident, I spent a month in the hospital, followed by 48 days at the Haapsalu Neurological Rehabilitation Center. Then I went home in a wheelchair.
At that point, I had extensive paralysis in my lower body and could barely move it. Even sitting without help was too difficult at first. When I got home to Tallinn in May, I started going to the Adeli rehabilitation center and Arctic Sport Club. Thanks to rehabilitation and the gym, I grew stronger day by day, gained confidence and began to regain my sense of balance.
I met a very good physiotherapist, Siret Sõrmus, whose exercises pushed me to overcome my fears and gave me the training workload I needed for the best possible recovery. I still see her for physiotherapy, and she’s a great help to me. I can now stand up with crutches and walk short distances. At the moment, my weaker right leg prevents me from walking farther, and I’m trying to find a supportive knee brace for it. Finding the right mobility aid in Estonia is far from easy, and the price of 5500€ seems unbelievable too.
What motivated you to start training after the accident?
After the accident, I started training in Arctic Sport’s gym and pool alongside my rehabilitation. I was still very weak at the time, and with my lower body paralyzed, I had no choice but to build up my overall strength and work towards the fullest possible recovery. The desire to get back on my feet pushed me to take my physical condition seriously.
Being in good shape has helped me manage both everyday tasks and rehabilitation exercises. Swimming helps me relax while keeping my leg muscles working. I’ll probably continue going to the gym and enjoying it once I’ve recovered as much as I can and am walking again.
How do you feel in the gym and after strength training?
I feel good after a gym workout because I’m a very active person, and any kind of movement makes me happy. Nothing beats seeing progress on the leg press or another leg exercise. I believe you have to give your muscles a good reason to be there and to grow. A good strength training session leaves me tired by the evening and feeling good.
”If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you!”
What does your training look like?
I try to train almost every day: I swim three or two days a week and spend the remaining days in the gym. At the gym, I follow a program I put together myself, with three different training days and stretching. In the evening after training, I also spend half an hour on a stationary bike at home to keep my joints and muscles moving.
At the gym, I make sure the breaks between exercises don’t get too long, keeping my body active throughout. Alongside training, I think making informed choices about nutrition is very important for supporting effective training. I’ve tried supplements before and would probably still use them if I could, but I can’t afford them at the moment, so I’ve been managing on regular food alone.
How do you use free weights and machines in your training?
Free-weight exercises play an important part in my program alongside machine exercises. I think a good program needs room for both.
Who has helped you with exercise technique for training in a wheelchair?
Training in a wheelchair isn’t easy, but I manage very well now. I gradually started trying to get onto the machines by myself and became more confident and capable. I no longer have trouble getting onto them, and it all happens without much effort. I already knew about exercise technique from before, so all I could think of was getting stuck in and training hard. I believe other people with similar injuries could also manage well in the gym. You just need to get yourself going and start training.
”Sore today, strong tomorrow”
Who supports you?
I’m very grateful to my family and loved ones for making everything I need for recovery possible. I’m also grateful to Siret, the therapist I mentioned earlier, who has encouraged me, advised me and helped me get moving. You could lose your mind if all you did was train, so this is a good place to mention my friends, who have treated me as a person just like them, rather than defining me by my injury. I haven’t missed out on events, and we’ve had quite a few adventures together.
What are your goals?
My number one goal right now is to get back on my feet. I’m not yet sure how fast or how far I’ll be able to walk in the future, but I know I will walk! My second goal is to find work that I can fit around rehabilitation and training. The future will shape my goals beyond that.
Edited by Janika Aavamägi
Source:Turg.Fitness.ee
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