Side rails or a trapeze may help a patient to move about more easily while in bed. Well persons use all their joints in the activities of everyday life. Exercise is also important for persons who are bedridden or immobilized if they are to maintain joint function. Each joint has the ability to move in certain directions. When a joint is not regularly exercised, it will gradually lose the capacity to move through its normal ROM and will stiffen into a condition called a contracture.
Contractures are painful and disabling, and can contribute to the development of pressure sores.
They can be prevented by moving each joint, even one that is paralyzed, through its full range of motion on a regular basis. Range of motion exercises may be done by the patient to the limit of his or her ability or with the assistance of a caregiver. The hospital nurse, home care nurse, or physical therapist can provide instruction in a program designed for the individual patient. The exercises should be performed twice a day.