
Strengthening exercises are an important part of stroke recovery. They can help improve muscle strength and endurance, as well as cardiovascular fitness. The aim is to help individuals regain the ability to perform daily activities and reduce the risk of another stroke.
- Task-oriented practice: This involves practicing specific tasks or movements that are relevant to daily activities. For example, practicing getting out of bed or standing up from a chair.
- Progressive resistance exercise: This involves gradually increasing the amount of weight or resistance used in exercises to build muscle strength.
- Aerobic conditioning: Cardiovascular exercises, such as walking or cycling, can improve fitness and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Home exercise programs: Supervised or unsupervised home exercise programs can help improve strength, balance, and endurance.
- Fatigue management: Fatigue is a common issue after a stroke, and can be addressed through exercise, medication, or other interventions.
- Gait training and balance training: These exercises can help improve walking ability and reduce the risk of falls.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Scooting in Bed (Bridges) | glutes, abs, hip flexors |
Standing Up From Bed (Squats) | glutes, hamstrings, quads |
Pushing Up from a Chair (Tricep Dips) | triceps, deltoids, pecs, back muscles |
Lifting a Cup (Bicep Curls) | biceps, triceps, wrists, finger flexors |
Walking | dorsiflexors, calf muscles, hip flexors, extensors |
What You'll Learn
- Side-stepping: Increase glute activation and dynamic stability with lateral weight shifting
- Forward-to-backward weight shifting: Improve foot clearance, pelvis stability, and standing balance
- Step-ups: Increase hip flexor strength for improved foot clearance and gait speed
- Sit-to-stand: Increase quadriceps and glute strength for improved stability and leg strength
- Single-leg stance: Increase hip flexor strength to improve single-leg strength and stability
Side-stepping: Increase glute activation and dynamic stability with lateral weight shifting
Side-stepping is a great way to increase glute activation and dynamic stability through lateral weight shifting. Here are some tips and variations to get the most out of this exercise:
Basic Side-Stepping
- Place a resistance band around your ankles, just above your malleoli (ankle bones).
- Stand with your feet aligned with the sides of a 12-inch-square floor tile.
- Keeping the resistance band taut, side-step to one side, moving a distance of one floor tile (12 inches).
- Bring your other foot to meet the first, so that your feet are again 12 inches apart and aligned with the edges of the floor tile.
- Repeat this sequence of movements until you reach the other side of the room.
- Face the opposite direction and side-step back to your starting position.
- Aim for eight side-steps in each direction.
Variations
To increase the challenge and target your glutes from different angles, try these variations:
Side-Stepping in a Squat Position
- Instead of standing upright, perform the side-stepping movement while maintaining a squat position.
- Keep your knees and hips bent and your back straight as you side-step.
- This variation increases the activation of the gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus and gluteus medius) and reduces the activation of the tensor fascia lata (TFL).
Side-Stepping with a Twist
- Start by facing one direction, then perform the basic side-stepping movement.
- After a few steps, turn your body 45 degrees and continue side-stepping in the new direction.
- This variation adds a transverse plane of motion to the exercise, further challenging your gluteal muscles and dynamic stability.
Increasing the Challenge
To make the exercise more difficult and intensify glute activation, try the following:
- Increase the resistance of the band.
- Walk on uneven terrain or up and down inclines.
- Increase the number of repetitions or perform the exercise more frequently.
- Add weights or perform explosive movements during the side-stepping motion.
Remember to maintain proper form throughout the exercise and consult a physiotherapist or fitness professional if you are new to this exercise or have any concerns.
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Forward-to-backward weight shifting: Improve foot clearance, pelvis stability, and standing balance
This exercise is designed to improve foot clearance, pelvis stability, and standing balance.
How to perform the exercise:
Stand next to a table, chair, wall, or another stable object for support. Shift your weight forward by taking a step forward with one foot, then lift that leg up and move it back behind your body to shift your weight backward. Repeat this movement several times, then switch sides.
Increase the challenge:
- Add ankle weights to increase the difficulty.
- Challenge yourself by not relying on arm support to maintain your balance.
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Step-ups: Increase hip flexor strength for improved foot clearance and gait speed
Step-ups are a great way to increase hip flexor strength, which is essential for improving foot clearance and gait speed after a stroke. Here's how you can perform this exercise:
- Stand in front of a step or a small box.
- Step up with one foot, followed by the other, ensuring you fully extend your hip.
- Step down and repeat with the other foot.
- Aim for 8-10 repetitions on each side.
- To increase the challenge, try not to rely on arm support to maintain your balance.
- You can also increase the step height to make the exercise more difficult.
This exercise targets the hip flexors, which are crucial for lifting the leg and increasing step length. By strengthening these muscles, you will improve your gait speed and foot clearance, reducing the risk of tripping and falling.
Additionally, step-ups can also target the glutes and improve pelvis stability, further enhancing your balance and coordination.
For added resistance, you can incorporate elastic bands or weights to increase the intensity of the exercise as you progress.
Remember to always consult with your neurologist or physical therapist before starting any new exercise program and ensure you have the necessary support to maintain your balance during the exercise.
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Sit-to-stand: Increase quadriceps and glute strength for improved stability and leg strength
The sit-to-stand exercise is a great way to improve your leg strength and stability, especially after a stroke. It involves sitting down and standing up from a seat without using your hands for assistance. This exercise targets your quadriceps and glutes, which are crucial for extending your knee and hip, respectively.
How to do it
- Sit in a chair with your feet apart and your hands together in front of your chest. Make sure the chair is stable and not on wheels.
- Without using your hands, push through your feet to stand and hold this position.
- Bend your knees to sit back into the chair with control.
Progression
To increase the challenge, try the following:
- Use a chair with a lower seat height.
- Sit down more slowly, which requires more muscular control.
- Add a resistance band around your knees to increase glute activation by pushing your legs out.
- Lower the seat surface to make the movement more challenging.
Benefits
The sit-to-stand exercise provides numerous benefits, including:
- Improved ability to perform everyday activities such as sitting, standing, and climbing stairs without pain.
- Better balance, which can enhance independence, especially for older adults.
- Increased mobility, particularly in the knees, hips, and ankles.
- Improved muscular endurance.
- Easier recovery from hip or knee injuries or surgeries.
This exercise is a great way to target your quadriceps and glutes, which are essential for improving stability and leg strength. Remember to always consult with your neurologist or physical therapist before starting any new exercise program.
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Single-leg stance: Increase hip flexor strength to improve single-leg strength and stability
Single-leg stance exercises are great for improving hip flexor strength, which can help to increase single-leg strength and stability. Here are some exercises to help you improve your hip flexor strength:
Seated Marching
Start from a seated position and lift your affected leg up into your chest. Then place your leg back down onto the floor. Keep your back straight and maintain controlled movement. Repeat on the other leg, alternating marching your legs up and down. If needed, use your unaffected arm to help lift the leg and control lowering it back to the floor. As you become stronger, try using less help from your arm. When you’re ready, you can also add resistance by lightly pushing down on your quads (thighs) with your arms when your leg is at the top.
Leg Extension
This is a more advanced leg exercise and it requires significant mobility in your leg. Begin the exercise from a seated position. Extend your left leg out, straightening your knee until your leg is parallel to the floor. Then, slowly bring your foot back down to the floor by allowing your knee to bend in a slow, controlled manner. Then repeat with your right leg, alternating back and forth between your right and left legs. As you become stronger, you can add an ankle weight to increase resistance during this exercise.
Hip Internal and External Rotations
Sit in a chair and lift your affected leg slightly off the floor. Your knee should remain bent at 90 degrees, but your foot should hover over the floor. With your leg slightly lifted, rotate your knee in and your foot out, like you’re kicking a ball out to the side. Then, bring your knee out and your foot in toward your midline. Repeat back and forth while maintaining the 90-degree bend at your knee.
Single-Leg Stance
Sitting) Begin seated in a chair. Lift one leg up, hold for 2 seconds, then lower. Repeat on the other side. (Standing) Stand next to a table, chair, wall, or other stable object for support. Weight shift over onto one leg while slowly lifting up the other, hold for 2 seconds, then lower. Repeat on the other side. Hold onto something for support if needed.
To increase the difficulty of this exercise, you can add ankle weights in a sitting or standing position. For standing marching, challenge yourself by not relying on arm support to maintain your balance.
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Frequently asked questions
Some exercises to improve your ability to perform daily activities include scooting in bed, standing up from bed, pushing up from a chair, and lifting a cup.
Some exercises to improve your walking include walking on uneven terrain or up and down inclines.
Some exercises to improve your balance include side stepping and forward-to-backward weight shifting.
Some exercises to improve your strength include hip flexor exercises, squats, and bicep curls.