What is a UBE?

If you attend physical therapy after an upper extremity injury, your physical therapist may have you use a bicycle that you pedal with your arms. This can help improve the strength and endurance in your arms to help you quickly get back to normal activity and function.

This arm bike is really called an upper body ergometer, or UBE. The UBE is used to get the arms moving after shoulder or arm injury. It is also commonly used in pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation. You might also use the UBE for cross training purposes after lower extremity injury.

Have you used a UBE in physical therapy? If you have, tell us what you thought about it. Did you like the UBE? Do you feel it helped you during your rehabilitation?