Pages

In -- and out of -- wheelchairs

Walking, foot drop, and wheelchairs

Exercises are the name of the game when it comes to regaining your walking.

See also: Walking After Stroke: How to Maximize Your Chances of Recovery

Exercises
If you are close to walking again, you can do these strengthening exercises -- with supervision. (Click on the image, and print it out.)

Wheelchair yoga is also possible. Consider:
Also see the sites that talk about chair yoga, since whatever you can do in a chair, you can probably do a wheelchair.
Benefits of chair yoga:
  • Improve strength and balance to be able to continue with your hobbies and daily activities.
  • Improve flexibility to make it easier to perform activities of daily living such as reaching
  • down to tie shoelaces or pick things up.
  • Improve proprioception: knowing where your body is in space, coordinating movement
  • accurately to prevent falls, and having more control over your body.
  • Reduce stress and anxiety. Being calmer and more relaxed can lead to a greater feeling of
  • happiness and wellness.
  • Pain management. Through meditation and paying attention to your breath, you can help
  • you body and mind cope and manage your pain.
  • Ant-inflammatory effects. There are some studies to suggest that yoga can help reduce
  • inflammation.

Here is a video of a couple of lower-body exercises for stroke patients, to help gain strength:

Another good video of simple leg exercises:




Foot Drop
Foot drop is when you have difficulty lifting the front part of your foot up toward your shin. While the root causes of foot drop are complex, the effects can often be quite clear, like poor balance and abnormal walking patterns.

There are many approaches to the problem. See Foot Drop Recovery: Understanding All Your Options and 5 Best Treatments for Foot Drop.

The usual solution is a brace, or ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). For more info, see The Hidden Danger of Using an AFO

Or you can try some of these inventions and gadgets, most of whom use a Functional Electrical Stimulation system.

Videos about foot drop:










And don't forget about your toes when you are working on your walking:

See also:

 Getting Up after a Fall
Falling is the leading cause of accidental home deaths, and they are a major reason for 40% of admissions to nursing homes. Here are some tips for not falling: 7 Life-Saving Ways to Prevent Falling After Stroke

But if you do fall, pick yourself up! Here's how:



Wheelchairs
If you are in a wheelchair -- even temporarily -- you might want to read:



Consider making these modifications throughout the house, as well as modifying your kitchen.

Getting into and out of a car is always a pain. Here are the basic steps:

Travel tips
Hotel rooms that are accessible to people with limited mobility are available throughout the United States. It is best to call an individual hotel to discuss your specific needs to ensure that they will be able to accommodate you. The following websites offer advice on the types of questions to ask when booking a hotel room.
Ramps
You can find all kinds of ramps and accessible thresholds on the AbleData site.  Then you can go to ramp page at Amazon to purchase them.

Railings / grab bars
See the good selections at Amazon.

Tips
If you are trying to walk again, always step up with you good leg first, and down with the bad. (Remember, "the good one goes to heaven.")