Hi John, Glad the socks are better for you. Hope you can reflect on the 1 year anniversary to see how far you have come. As time goes on progress does slow a bit but there is no timeline for recovery progress. If you work hard at it you will continue to improve. You seem determined enough do you shouldn’t worry about progression slowing.
I’ve copied some exercises in below for you. These are all things that I did.
Exercises to Strengthen and Improve Mobility
Seated Leg Lifts: While sitting, lift one leg at a time, keeping the knee straight.
Heel Slides: Lie on your back, bend your knee, and slide your heel toward your buttocks, then extend it back out.
Quad Sets: Tighten the muscles in the front of your thigh by pressing the back of your knee into the bed or floor.
Ankle Circles: Gently rotate your ankles to improve joint flexibility.
Inner Thigh Squeeze: Place a pillow between your knees, lie on your back, and squeeze, engaging the inner thigh muscles.
Seated Marching: In a chair, lift one foot at a time, mimicking marching.
Sit-to-Stand: Practice slowly standing up from a chair and then slowly sitting back down.
Standing Hip Abduction: Hold onto a stable surface, transfer your weight to one leg, lift the other leg out to the side, and hold for a few seconds before lowering.
Toe-to-Nose: Point your foot and toes up toward your nose to improve foot clearance for walking.
Strength and Balance Exercises for Better Walking
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Ankle DorsiflexionGoal: to improve ankle dorsiflexion strength to improve foot clearanceHow-to: Loop a resistance band around your foot so that the force is pulling your foot down. Activate your tibialis anterior by drawing your foot up toward your body.Progression: Increase the resistance with a higher level of resistance band.
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MarchingGoal: to increase hip flexor strength to improve foot clearance, and increase single leg strength and stability when standing and weight shifting.How-to: (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.Progression: Add ankle weights in sitting or standing to increase difficulty. For standing marching, challenge yourself by not relying on arm support to maintain your balance.
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BridgingGoal: to increase glute strength to improve force generation, step length, and gait speedHow-to: Lay down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Draw your stomach in and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips up without arching your lower back, then lower.Progression: Add a resistance band around your knees to increase glute activation by abducting, or pushing your legs out, against the band.
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Sit to StandGoal: to increase quadriceps and glute strength for improved leg strength and stabilityHow-to: Sit in a chair, lean forward, and use your legs to stand up. Then slowly lower yourself back into the chair with control without “plopping.” Try not to use your arms to help push you up from the chair.Progression: Add a resistance band around your knees to increase glute activation by abducting, or pushing your legs out, against the band, or lower the seat surface to make the movement more challenging.
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Side SteppingGoal: to increase glute activation and dynamic balance and stability with lateral weight shiftingHow-to: Stand in front of a wall or counter to hold onto support if needed. Step to the side with one leg then follow with the other. Repeat several times, then change directions and repeat.Progression: Add a resistance band around your knees to increase glute activation when side stepping. Challenge yourself by not relying on arm support to maintain your balance.
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Forward to Backward Weight ShiftingGoal: to improve foot clearance, pelvis stability, and standing balance with weight shiftingHow-to: Stand next to a table, chair, wall, or other stable object for support. Weight shift forward by taking a step forward with one foot, then lift that leg up and move it back behind your body to weight shift backward. Repeat several times, then switch sides.Progression: Add ankle weights to increase difficulty. Challenge yourself by not relying on arm support to maintain your balance.
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Step-upsGoal: to increase hip flexor strength for improved foot clearance and step length, quadriceps and glute strength for improved force generation and gait speed, and pelvis stability and standing balance with weight shiftingHow-to: Stand in front of a step. Step with one foot followed by the other, then step down. Repeat several times, then switch sides.Progression: Challenge yourself by not relying on arm support to maintain your balance. Increase step height for added difficulty.
Don’t overdo it though. There’s a balance to be had between exercising & resting.
