Rehab ends.
But moving forward doesn't.
Rehabilitation helps prepare you for life after a spinal cord injury. But what happens when the appointments end and you're left wondering what's next?
Move To Improve SCI helps people living with spinal cord injuries and wheelchair users build strength, improve shoulder health, and develop the skills and confidence to keep moving forward.
Whether you're newly discharged from rehabilitation or you've been living with a spinal cord injury for decades, we'll help you find a better way to move and a plan that makes sense for your abilities, your goals, and your life.
More movement is better when it's better movement.
You made it home from rehab. Now what?
Think about everything that happens after a spinal cord injury.
The hospital.
The rehabilitation center.
The therapy appointments.
The countless hours learning how to move, transfer, and become more independent.
Your rehabilitation team helps you prepare for life at home. Then, eventually, those appointments become less frequent or end altogether.
You're home, trying to figure out how to keep improving.
Maybe you're still doing the exercises your therapists gave you.
Maybe they've become too easy.
Maybe you've stopped because you're unsure what to do next.
Or maybe you've been living with SCI for years, doing the same movements every day, and you're starting to notice the toll it's taking on your body.
Your shoulders are getting tired.
Transfers feel harder than they used to.
You're losing strength, or you're simply unsure how to train effectively with your injury.
You know movement matters. You just need some direction.
That's why I created Move To Improve SCI.
I wanted people living with SCI to have somewhere to turn for practical strength training, shoulder health education, and guidance that helps them continue progressing throughout their lives.
Because there's a lot more to living with a spinal cord injury than getting through rehabilitation.
Wherever you are in your SCI journey,
there's a place for you here.
Everybody's experience with spinal cord injury is different.
Your injury level, functional abilities, available equipment, experience with exercise, and personal goals all influence what training should look like.
We've created three pathways to help you find what you're looking for.​
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Just getting home from rehabilitation?
You've worked hard to get where you are, and now you're figuring out how to keep moving forward.
Maybe you're still learning what your body can do.
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Maybe you're trying to get stronger for transfers, build endurance, or feel more comfortable doing things on your own.
We'll help you understand how to approach exercise after rehabilitation, what movements to focus on, and how to begin building strength with your current abilities.
You'll find educational resources, shoulder health guidance, and structured training options to help you get started.
Been living with SCI for years?
I know how easy it is to fall into the same daily movement patterns.
Pushing your chair.
Transferring.
Reaching for things.
Doing whatever needs to be done to get through the day.
Over time, those repetitive movements can take a toll, especially when you're missing the strength and movement variety your body needs.
Maybe you're dealing with shoulder discomfort, losing strength, or struggling to make progress in the gym.
Or maybe you're already training consistently and want to make your workouts more effective.
We'll help you take a closer look at how you move, build strength around your abilities, and train with a purpose.
Your opportunities to improve don't end because you've been injured for five, ten, or twenty years.
Are you a rehabilitation professional?
You're helping your patients work toward greater independence and prepare for life after discharge.
We want to help them continue building on that work.
Move To Improve SCI provides exercise education, shoulder health resources, and function-based strength training for people living with spinal cord injuries.
Our goal is to give your patients a practical resource for continuing appropriate exercise and developing healthier movement habits after formal rehabilitation.
We respect the expertise and work of physical therapists, occupational therapists, physiatrists, and the entire rehabilitation team.
We want your patients to have somewhere to go when they're ready for their next stage of training, of life.
More movement is better when it's better movement.
I've believed this for a long time, both as a strength coach and as someone living with a spinal cord injury.
Movement is one of the most important things we can do for our health.
But living with SCI changes how we move and how our bodies respond to the physical demands of daily life.
Think about how often you push, transfer, reach, and support your body with your arms.
That's a tremendous amount of work for your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and upper back.
And because so many everyday wheelchair activities rely on similar movement patterns, certain muscles can end up doing a lot more work than others.
Over time, that can contribute to fatigue, reduced movement options, and shoulder problems.
That's why I believe the quality of your movement matters just as much as how much you're moving.
Better movement means being intentional about how you train.
It means developing strength in muscles that don't get enough attention during everyday wheelchair use.
It means improving shoulder and scapular control, maintaining the mobility you have, and building the capacity to handle the physical demands of your life.
It also means understanding your individual abilities and choosing exercises that make sense for your body.
You don't need to be able to stand, walk, or perform traditional gym exercises to benefit from a well-designed strength training program.
You need exercises that match your function, appropriate progression, and enough consistency to make a difference.
That's the approach behind everything we do at Move To Improve SCI.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy help you develop the skills and abilities you need to navigate everyday life.
We want to build on that foundation.
Move To Improve SCI focuses on the exercise and strength training that can become part of your life as you move beyond formal rehabilitation.
We help you develop a better understanding of your movement, build strength with the function you have, and establish training habits you can continue for years.
That might mean strengthening the muscles around your shoulders. It might mean improving your ability to perform transfers, building upper body endurance, or developing the confidence to train independently.
For others, it might mean building muscle, improving fitness, or getting more out of the workouts they're already doing.
Your medical and rehabilitation team remains responsible for your clinical care.
Our exercise resources are designed to complement that care and support appropriate long-term training.
We're here to help you make movement a regular, meaningful part of your life.
Because making it home from rehabilitation is an important milestone.
And there's still plenty of progress worth working toward.
I've spent over 19 years living with SCI, and over 20 years coaching movement.
I'm Tim Morris, the founder of Move To Improve SCI.
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I have a master's degree in teaching human movement, in 2013 I became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), I'm a Pain-Free Performance Specialist, and I've spent over two decades working in strength training, coaching, and teaching how their bodies move best. I have Division 1 athletes running on scholarship from my time as a high school head track coach (coaching while using a wheelchair), my athletes have state records, and I have coach of the year honors. Additionally, I have numerous paralympic athletes trained, and a power chair user who has lost 100 pounds. I also have countless wheelchair athletes who have improved their transfers, reduced their pain, regained confidence, and rebuilt their lives through my coaching.
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I've also been living with a T3 spinal cord injury since 2007.
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So when I talk about the challenges of training with SCI, I'm speaking from both professional experience and personal experience.
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I know what it's like to rely on your shoulders for practically everything. I know how much work goes into something as ordinary as getting through the day in a wheelchair. And I know how valuable strength training can be when it's designed around what your body can actually do.
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Throughout my career, I've worked to better understand how movement, strength, and exercise can improve people's lives.
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Living with SCI has made that work even more personal.
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I've also learned from people like Erik Kondo, an innovator who has lived with a T4 spinal cord injury for over 40 years and brings valuable insight into wheelchair fit, movement efficiency, and everyday function.
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These experiences have helped shape the way I think about training people living with SCI.
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I created Move To Improve SCI because I believe people deserve better access to exercise education and programming that takes their abilities seriously.
I want you to understand your body, develop strength, and have a plan you can feel confident following.
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More than 19 years living with SCI. More than 20 years coaching movement.
Your shoulders do a lot for you.
Let's start taking better care of them.
If you use a wheelchair, think about how many times you rely on your shoulders throughout the day.
Pushing your chair.
Transferring to your bed.
Getting into your car.
Reaching overhead.
Pressure relief.
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For many people living with SCI, the shoulders are responsible for an enormous amount of daily work.
And that work adds up.
Repetitive loading, reduced movement variety, limited strength, and changes in mobility can all contribute to shoulder problems.
The good news is that there are practical things you can do to build strength and improve how your shoulders handle those demands.
At Move To Improve SCI, shoulder health is a major part of how we approach training.
We focus on developing strength in the muscles that support your shoulders, improving scapular control, maintaining useful mobility, and helping you build the physical capacity needed for everyday life.
We've also created shoulder health resources to help you understand common problems and learn exercises you can incorporate into your routine.
A little more attention to how your shoulders move and how you train them can make a meaningful difference over time.
And if you're currently dealing with shoulder pain, it's important to understand what's causing it and get appropriate professional guidance when needed.
Start with our free shoulder warm up.
Learn a practical series of movements designed to help prepare your shoulders for exercise and everyday activity.
You should have a better starting point for your nutrition.
Nutrition matters whether your goal is to lose body fat, build muscle, maintain your weight, or simply feel healthier.
But figuring out how much to eat can be frustrating when you're living with a spinal cord injury.
Most popular calorie calculators use equations developed from people without SCI.
They don't directly account for some of the changes in muscle mass, metabolism, and physical activity that can happen after a spinal cord injury.
That can make their estimates less useful for wheelchair users.
So we developed the Move To Improve SCI Calorie Calculator.
It uses your age, height, weight, sex, functional injury category, activity level, and goals to help estimate your daily calorie needs.
You'll receive an SCI-adjusted starting estimate based on whether your goal is weight maintenance, fat loss, or muscle gain.
You'll also see how your estimate compares with a standard calculation.
No calculator can measure your exact daily energy needs from a few questions. Your results are a starting point that you can adjust based on your progress over time.
It's a practical way to begin making more informed decisions about your nutrition.
And the best part?
It's free.
Strength training that makes sense for your body.
If you've ever tried following a workout designed for someone without a spinal cord injury, you've probably run into a few problems.
Exercises that require standing.
Movements that assume you have full trunk control.
Workouts that ignore the amount of stress your shoulders already handle.
And modifications that don't make much sense for your actual abilities.
Training with SCI requires more thought than simply changing your position for an exercise.
Your injury level, functional abilities, balance, grip strength, shoulder function, available equipment, and training experience all matter.
That's why Move To Improve SCI takes a function-first approach to programming.
Our training is organized around three broad spinal cord injury groups:
Cervical SCI
Training that accounts for differences in grip, arm function, trunk control, and upper body strength. Exercises and equipment are selected around each person's abilities and available assistance.
High Thoracic SCI
Strength training that considers reduced trunk control and balance while developing upper body strength, shoulder stability, and the ability to handle daily physical demands.
Low Thoracic SCI
Programming that builds on available upper body and trunk function to develop strength, endurance, muscle, and overall physical capacity.
These categories provide a starting point. Your actual functional abilities determine which exercises and progressions are appropriate for you.
Our programming emphasizes balanced upper body development, healthy shoulder function, appropriate exercise selection, and progressive strength training.
Whether your goal is to get stronger for everyday activities, improve your physique, become more independent, or simply establish a consistent exercise routine, we want you to have a plan that works for your body.
We also offer options for people who need more individualized guidance.
Help your patients keep moving after discharge.
As a rehabilitation professional, you spend an enormous amount of time helping your patients build function, develop independence, and prepare for life after spinal cord injury.
You understand how important movement is to their health and quality of life.
You also know that continuing an appropriate exercise routine can be challenging once patients leave the structured environment of rehabilitation.
Some patients have access to adaptive fitness facilities or experienced trainers. Many don't.
Others struggle to find programs that match their functional abilities, accommodate their equipment, or account for the physical demands of wheelchair use.
Move To Improve SCI was created to help address that gap.
We provide exercise education, shoulder health resources, and structured strength training designed around the functional abilities of people living with spinal cord injuries.
Our approach is informed by 20 years of strength coaching experience, graduate education in kinesiology, and 19 years of personal experience living with a T3 spinal cord injury.
We want to support the work you're already doing by helping appropriate patients continue exercising and developing healthy movement habits beyond rehabilitation.
Our resources are intended for individuals who are ready for exercise at an appropriate level, with medical clearance or clinical guidance when needed.
We welcome the opportunity to work with physical therapists, occupational therapists, physiatrists, discharge planners, and rehabilitation organizations interested in helping their patients maintain an active lifestyle.
Your patients have worked hard to get where they are.
We'd love to help them keep going.
Your injury changed how you move. You can still get stronger.
Maybe you were injured recently.
Maybe you've been using a wheelchair for most of your life.
Maybe you're trying to make transfers easier, take better care of your shoulders, lose body fat, build muscle, or simply feel stronger doing the things you do every day.
Whatever brought you here, I'm glad you found us.
I've spent a long time learning how to train, adapt, and keep improving while living with SCI.
And one of the biggest things I've learned is that progress comes from understanding your body, being intentional about how you move, and continuing to challenge yourself in ways that make sense.
You can start small.
You can start with your shoulders.
You can start by learning more about your nutrition or finding a strength training program that fits your abilities.
The important thing is finding somewhere to begin and building from there.
More movement is better when it's better movement.
Let's get moving.
