Exercises in sitting can help you to start weightbearing with “proper form”. If the leg is not strong enough or has abnormal muscle tone, this might cause an injury to the ankle or cause someone to rely on compensatory strategies. A common problem is standing and walking after a stroke is that the involved leg is not prepared to accept full body weight. Sitting is a great way to work on balance and posture to stand and walk after a stroke. Of note, continue to perform the mat exercises from the early stage of stroke recovery Sitting Exercises to stand and walk after a stroke If you are someone who struggles with a “stiff leg” or someone with knee hyperextension, this shape is an important one to practice. Hip extension w/ knee flexion: This shape/movement is also required for the phase of walking immediately before you swing the leg through. Prone hamstring curls will help to learn this shape. This shape occurs right before you swing the leg (terminal stance/early swing). Knee flexion with hip extension: This is a challenging movement because it breaks up a flexor synergy pattern. The mat is a great way to perfect the key shapes (positions) that are required during each phase of the walking cycle as well as how to transition between each of these shapes. The body also needs to be able to transition between these positions (body shapes). The body needs to be able to hit certain positions (shapes). If these muscles are shortened it makes it more difficult to keep your chest up.īody shaping is a preparatory method to “normalize” walking. Hip Flexor Stretch: The hip flexor muscles are on the front of the hip. Hamstrings: If the hamstrings are shortened, it will make it harder to keep the knees straight in standing So if you have been immobile for awhile, these muscles are more likely to be shortened. Standing naturally keeps these muscles stretched out. Gastrocnemius, soleus, and posterior tibialis: These muscles are often shortened due to either spasticity and/or due to immobility. The muscles to stretch to prepare the body for standing and walking: You want to eliminate as much resistance as possible. Shortened muscles will add unnecessary resistance to movement. Stretching is important to lengthen shortened muscles. Two things are important when thinking about preparing the body. In this case, the mat exercises are intended to prepare the body for standing balance retraining and walking. The goal should be to “prepare” the body for whatever functional activities you intend to practice during that session. Mat exercises are a great starting point for every therapy session. Starting with mat exercise, followed by seated exercises, and finally standing. To have the greatest success during each of your therapy sessions, I recommend you break each session into three parts. Once you have a solid foundation, here is the next progression: How do you relearn how to stand and walk after a stroke? I recommend starting with Walking after a stroke (early stage). To prevent this or to “unlearn” this, I have put together a step by step guid to relearning who to walk after a stroke. Compensatory strategies are when someone learns how to rely heavily on the uninolved arm and and leg for movement. So, needless to say, I am more than just slightly passionate about helping people “get back on their feet”.Īll that being said, some people are so eager to start walking, that they develop what we call compensatory strategies. However, standing and walking is also important to prevent deconditioning, maintain joint health, and prevent postural abnormalities associated with prolonged sitting. Of course, this is critical in giving someone more independence. Many want to stand and walk after a stroke.
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