Thanks @ManjiB and that’s a nice suggestion but I only really know what has and hasn’t worked for me and my stroke. But you’re right in that, even though physio’s are aware these issue, it baffles me why they don’t make such recommendations themselves. It was a common sense solution for me and I’m practically minded enough to automatically consider this as a solution. Why don’t they; its not like its rocket science 
It’s just a spot of retraining same as you’d do with teeth that protrude too much, you get them braced.
Lorraine
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Processing: Screenshot_20250422_184847_YouTube.jpg…
This is my foot splint inside my trainer.
Hope you can see the photo.
I will get some next week and try.
Can you send me the details of them again please.
I have to have size 13 to fit my splint in my trainers.
Thanks for the advice.
Another lady advised me to use toe separators to stop my toes curling so I got some today and trying them now.
Hope your ok
John
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Some AFOs (Ankle Foot Orthoses) have built-in support for foot position, and adding a sloped insole might be unnecessary or even counterproductive (i.e. tilt the foot too far in the opposite direction). So check with your physio first. But I’d try it without the splint just in case.
I can’t quite understand what I’m seeing in that picture. Is that brace also to support your knee?
Lorraine
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Hi Lorraine it doesn’t go up as far as my knee.
When I get the insoles I will not use splint.
Hopefully I won’t need it as it rubs the side of my foot so have to put heel cushion in to help.
My balance is really good and I do walk a few steps even when my foot turns without holding onto anything but it is painful.
The way I see it I’m focusing on what will work more than what won’t
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https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comfort-Cushioning-Orthopedic-Correction-Alignment/dp/B08ZJ2CPDV
Well here’s the link address again if you’re going ahead with buying a pair. If you do find you need to trim them down a bit, be sure to cut away from the toe and the thin side of the insole. This is so you don’t lose any of the slope.
A little word of warning: I wore mine constantly for the first 6 months. Then one day I felt an almighty click in my foot. But that click seemed to free something up in my foot. So that was when I started testing out my foot without the slopping insole.
It was a painful click but well worth it 
Up until then my big toe had an annoying tendency to point upwards with most foot movements. And I’ve had to darn numerous socks because of holes from that toe 
Fortunately that is in the past now.
Don’t recall if I’ve also suggested Toe Socks/Foot Gloves to you. I’d also started wearing them as my toes were so tight together. The toe socks helped splay my toes out a little which helped a little with my balance as well as the toes curling. But mine only curled slightly. If you’re interested in try them then just key in toe sock in amazon and it will come up with a whole range to choose from.
Lorraine
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Hi Lorraine my big toe just stays straight another lady advised toe separators which I got today and they seem to have stopped my toes curling but I will have to see.
Don’t care about the crack if it means I can walk after.
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Yes, I’ve actually recommended them to my sister to relief her hammer toes and she finds them very good 
I must remember to ask how she’s doing with them now. That’s brilliant if they’re stopping the toes curling, but it will take time for them to set permanently so to speak. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best 
Lorraine
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So glad I joined.
Found lovely people like you.
I can walk with a quad stick but am practicing walking without holding onto anything and managing a few steps so if I can sort my curling toes and twisting foot i should be able to walk soon.
My physio and nurses stop coming after Wednesday next week and I’m worried.
I’m getting passed to a community team whatever they do.
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Don’t worry too much about about losing your physio, when you think about it, there have been many firsts in our lives going it alone, like driving alone the first time after passing your test, your first baby and being solely responsible for its life, your first job, etc. But you got everyone here to support, encourage and cheer you on so please take full advantage. Ask anything, there’s always someone who’ll have an answer or suggestion, or just an ear to listen if that’s all that is needed.
You’re not alone, and you can do this!
Lorraine
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Thanks for your support love it’s just new to me being like this and it’s taking getting used to
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We’ve all been there and know just what you are going through. But it can and does get better. It may take some effort and hard work but it pays off.
And it’s ok to take a break, to take a day off from doing your exercises, that gives the brain a bit more time to process what it’s relearnt 
One exercise you could be doing, if you are able enough, is practice getting down and up from the floor. This not only builds up your confidence and reducing any fear of falling you may have, but it is a very good one for building up upper body strength to get yourself back up more easily. There are various videos on youtube for how to do that 
Crawling around on your hands and knees, again if you are able enough, is another good one for strengthening and activating your stroke arm. Exactly how babies learn Certainly worth considering or remembering for future.
Lorraine
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I have put some of the toe things on but when I do my squats my toes still go under for a while
Do you think I will be better with 2 of them on?
Hi Lorraine last night I tried kneeling on both sides on the bed and ended up on the floor.
I managed to get to the edge of the bed the knelt on my good leg then tried to do the same with my bad leg and somehow managed to push myself onto the bed and turn round.
I do squats in the bathroom using the grab rail as I heard it builds leg strength.
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I wasn’t going to post tonight until I saw yours
I’m so pleased you gave it a try, getting down on the floor and up again.
Very well done you 
I’m proud of you and I’m suitably impressed
Keep it up now. At this stage in your recovery, you’ll have a lot of muscle weakness and this sort of exercise is almost like a whole body workout, most importantly your core muscle strength. And that will all build up with time, tenacity and hard work.
And squats I highly recommend to everyone recovering after a stroke, I’ve recommended it on here numerous times over the years. It’s like a magic wand to walking proficiently again, because it builds strength all the down the backs of your legs from butt to foot!
And if anyone is not ready yet to them just by holding on to something or free standing, then just sit to stands in a chair is sufficient enough to begin with. Ideally do enough repetitions until you start to feel a burn in the leg muscles, this may take more than say 5 or 10 repetitions. That’s the best way I know that I’ve really worked those muscles.
I do them in sets of 3, that is 3 sets of however many you do. Yesterday for instance I did 3 sets of 20 whilst holding a 16kg kettle bell. I did put my back out a bit putting it away, but that’s another story on another post And I’m a lot further down the road in my recovery than you are. The fact you are doing squats holding a a hand rail is enough to tell me that you will get there too.
And if you do these exercises to a bit of music with a good beat, it helps break the monotony I have gym music downloaded onto my phone and cordless headphones, so I have a lively fast paced play list I can work to.
This is the kind of beat I like to work to although I don’t actually have this song on my playlist. But we use it periodically at my Strength & Balance class for doing squats
Lorraine
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It wasn’t by choice I ended up on the floor but I was determined to get on the bed.
Main problem I have is pain in my good knee no matter how I lay to goto sleep.
I am determined to walk unaided.
My hand opens at night and in a morning but stays closed rest of the time.
I can sort of move my arm.
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Then if you make it a choice to get on the floor, you might establish a better plan of action for getting back up again
Is your knee pain a pre stroke issue from say arthritis?
Or is it coming from the hip? It’s common a lot of knee pain stems from the hip, particularly from the sciatic nerve. I get knee pain sometimes from that and its just a case of massaging the sore bit at the top of the hip at the back. It’s a case of digging your knuckles around in that area until you find the sore spot which is tight and needs massaging out. And it is common in stroke survivors as the good leg over compensates for the weak stroke leg which makes you limp. Maybe try a pillow between your knees in bed when lying on your side, it might help relieve some hip tension.
The thing with your hand opening at night is because in your brain is switched off for the night therefore there are no signals going the muscles. In the morning, the brain switches back on, starts sending out signals to activate the muscles, but they have to travel through that damage bit of brain from the stroke. So the hand is getting the wrong signals . . . to close up and remain closed. Only time and effort will tell whether the brain can get the arm/hand functioning again.
Lorraine
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Hi l have hand arthritis since I was 24.
When I lay sideways a certain way it’s not too bad.
The last time my physio came last week he was an hour late and blamed the traffic.
When he was here he did abit of stretching on my hand, wrist and arm then he took me walking.
He tried to reduce that time by saying he had a patient next he really wanted to see but I got him to stay and show me how to go down a ramp at the end of the pavement mobile scooters use.
Thing is he and nurses stop coming after Wednesday as the 6 months will be up and I’m worried.
He said that I will be passed to the community team after that and they have a physio supposedly but not a stroke specific one.
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You could talk to your gp about it, they may be able to refer you for further physio with stroke or neuro physio. You’ve nothing to lose by asking.
Do you live alone, could that be some of your concern ?
Lorraine
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Hi Lorraine I live with my dad who’s not well himself he’s 76
My physio has just called and said that for me to be referred to community team I have to be discharged from current team.
So he has discharged me today instead of Wednesday.
So no more nurses and yet he’s coming Wednesday?
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