STATE-of-the-art physiotherapy equipment has been donated to Royal Bournemouth Hospital by the parents of a man who tragically died.

Keith and Cynthia Reynolds, of St Leonards, gifted almost £9,000 to buy a Motomed arm-and-leg bike that will be used by bed-ridden patients to keep up their movement and circulation.

The couple were full-time carers for their son Ian, who was 23 when he sustained head injuries in a motorbike accident in 1984 and was regularly treated at the hospital prior to his recent death.

Physiotherapist Jenny Rains said the bike, which is placed over the patient’s bed, will make a huge difference and praised Mr and Mrs Reynolds for their generosity.

“Bed rest is bad for you and every day you spend in bed you lose between one and three per cent of your muscle strength,” she added.

“So if you can imagine you are spending five weeks in bed at a time you are losing 50 per cent of your muscle strength.

“The knock-on effect of that is that you are going to be weaker, not as functionally able as you once were and may well require care.

“Spending that amount of time in bed may impact on your bladder and bowels, it can reduce bone density and can have a massive affect on your respiratory system, it can increase your heart rate and it can lower your blood pressure when you actually do get up.

“So we need to get people moving. For some people who are too unwell to get moving in a natural way, something like this is going to come into its own.”

Mrs Reynolds said she decided to make the donation after the outstanding treatment her son received, adding: “We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the doctors, nurses and all the teams involved for the wonderful care and support given.”