I had my stroke about 18 months ago and it affected my balance center.
So… I had to learn to walk again and it was tough. In the early days if I moved to quickly I got the most severe dizzy spells but that gradually faded and I don’t get them anymore.
I can now walk unaided but I often take a stick with me if I go out as I have had a few wobbles that scared me and I worry that if I fall I might break bones and set myself back. I often do not really use the stick unless I feel unsteady and just need it to steady myself if I get a bit wobbly.
18 months on and I am walking better but still not great outside - in my flat I never use the stick but it is familiar and flat - outside there are slopes, different surfaces, traffic, other people etc etc
I wonder how other peoples experiences are with the long slow recovery - I know I am improving but it is painfully slow and I don’t know how much mobility I will regain.
I use a smartwatch to count my steps - my longest walk is 1,200 steps on a flat path around a reservoir - that was tough but satisfying and I felt tired at the end of that. I wonder if a lot of the tiredness comes from the not very relaxed, not particularly well coordinated walking style that I have - I try and relax but it is difficult
It does take a longer time. My stroke was Nov 2024 and balance is still off (some think I am drunk. One passer by asked if I had sh..t in my pants) . But it’s getting better. Knees are weakest up slopes and my heel is painful but having bought new ortho shoes I hope walking will be steadier. I’m also joining the NERS exercise prog which might help.
@Puthnabit Hi & welcome to the community.
I remember someone thinking I was drunk too when I wobbled a few steps along the local town after my stroke. I just smiled sweetly & wobbled off. I have a stuck now & find that makes people more accepting. Like you say recovery is a long process. Hope you’re doing ok.
What I have found frustrating is that nobody can tell you how much mobility you will get back and nobody can tell you how your recovery is progressing - I guess it’s just the nature of strokes but I would like to know if I am doing ok or should I be doing more or even less! I guess it’s possible to overdo it?
No it does seem to be an unknown quantity but if you keep working at it slowly thungs can improve. I think it is ok to push yourself but beware fatigue. If something fatigues you rein in back in for a bit before trying again. Everyone has different fatigue triggers & different levels of fatigue & some get no fatigue at all.
Hi Andy and welcome to the community. It’s great that you have come so far as to walk unaided and I dare say much of your tiredness is still brain fatigue.
It was at about 18mths post stroke that I decided I needed something more than just walking if I ever wanted to improve beyond the very basics. I now needed something more to improve balance and stability so I could speed up a bit and walk for longer. Walking alone is never going to be enough to build strength, stamina and endurance. That’s when I joined a local strength & balance class once a week, which is run by Age UK for the over 50’s age group. But you may be able to find something similar in your area because it sounds like that’s the stage you are at. I also attend a body balance class also by AgeUK which is held at a gym with one of their instructors and is a lot more advanced. I also go to another gym a couple days a week to basically do my own thing.
We lose a lot of muscle mass post stroke, mainly because we spend much time either sitting or lying down, unable to walk or do much else. That loss has to be built back up and walking alone is not going to be enough to do that. There are many little exercises you can do at home to strengthen your legs and hip flexors to improve your walking ability and gait.
Not knowing your age or your current level of ability, here’s a few good basics:
Sit to stand (Squats): And all you need is a chair. Sit down and stand up 10 times then rest for a minute; keeping your feet hip width apart. Then do 2 more rounds of 10 with a minute’s rest between each. If you can’t do 10 reps then only do 5, you can always increase as you improve.
Part of our fear of falling, aside from injury, is being stuck on the ground, floundering around like a beached whale, because we can’t get ourselves back up again.
The way we were taught at Age UK is to stand up and face your chair or bed.
Place both hands on the chair seat and take a few steps back.
Go down one your knees, one knee at a time with your hands supporting you on the chair.
Walk backwards on your knees until you can bring your hand/s comfortably to floor.
From being on your hand/s and knees its much easier to crawl backwards/forwards into a more roomier position to lower yourself prone onto the floor.
Lower your hip first, then down onto your elbow and from there you’ll find it much easier to lower yourself down to your side and then roll onto your back on the floor.
Once on the floor, do give yourself a full minute’s rest before you reverse the process to get back up again. It’s not a race remember!
And the rest is not for you, it’s for your muscles!
So to get back up from the prone position, role onto your side again.
Bring yourself up onto your elbow first, then your hand so you’re sitting on one hip.
From there you can role onto your hand/s and knees
Once there you can crawl back to the chair/bed then use your hands to help lever yourself back up.
This technique also gives you a good bit of an upper and lower body workout in the process
And hats off to @Bobbi who has just created a video of him doing that manouver himself. At the age of 80 he’s managed to get down to the floor and back up again with the use of only one arm and one leg. If he can do it, anyone can, it’s just a matter of putting your mind to it And it’s a good confidence builder for when you are out walking.
There are loads of little hip flexion exercises you could, it’s just a matter of keying those words into google a picking out the simplest and best for suite your ability.
Such as marching on the spot, raising each knee to hip height, hold onto something for balance if needed.
Here’s two more that are one good for hips/lower back and so improve walking. You can put a cushion under your knee for comfort.
I can walk without my stick but take it with me for peace of mind when out and about. I make my own sticks and always get positive comments about the one I use, blackthorn, surprisingly, many positive comments from youngsters who think it looks cool. I joke that I should give them my card as they are my future clientele for sticks that I make. I am five years post stroke.
My partner, Richard had a stroke 4.5 years ago and after what felt like quite a hard push to get the physio etc that we need, even after all of that time and being told that he wouldn’t be able to walk again, he is now making good progress with the physio.
It’s unlikely that he’ll get back to where he was pre- stoke, however his determination is amazing and it just shows that there’s always hope.
There is a reason for this Andy - and I believe the reason(s) have been covered by Ann and Lorraine (@Mrs5K and @EmeraldEyes ) which in a nutshell and as I see it is that we are all different and we all have different potentials and we will all achieve what we want to allow ourselves to achieve.
I think Lorraine puts it very well here and my guess is that there aren’t that many people who do this i.e. say to themselves, "Hey, I can do more!!!
In her case it was 18 months into the journey when she she decided she needed something more, but it could just as well have been from day 1, or day 10 or whenever. You as an individual have the capacity to give yourself the opportunity to achieve as much as you can. This might sound like bs and maybe it is, but I believe we all have that ability but for whatever reason it takes something or someone exceptional to make you realise that this is possible.
Here is where I will stop as I do not wish to digress or dilute this thread.
I wish you all the best on your journey and welcome you to this community where you will meet wonderful people willing to support and guide you on your journey if you so wish.
There are no limits on what you can achieve with your life, except the limits you accept in your mind.
As well as @Bobbi who is doing a remarkable job inspiring others on this forum, there is @pando Roland. If you haven’t already done so, you might want to check out their posts.
Even after being told he wouldn’t walk, he is making good progress.
I don’t know when you finally managed to get the support you needed, but imagine if you had had it from day 1. What might Richard be doing today?
Do you still want to limit yourself (Richard) to not getting back to where he was pre-stroke?
“There are no limits on what you can achieve with your life, except the limits you accept in your mind.”
Welcome to the community where we hope you and Richard will find lots of inspiration, support and advice to help you on your journey.
You will also (in my view) wind possibly conflicting advice or over optimistic/unrealistic advice.
This is all perception - it is your choice to see things the way you see them.
Your glass can be half-full or it can be half-empty.
Thanks to all who have commented - gives me something to think about for sure
Just another thing that I have been doing that people might find of interest is Chair Yoga - I use software from Down dog and t has helped with my general mobility so getting in and out of the bath/shower for example is now a lot easier than it was. Some of the exercises are hard to do but worth doing if you want to be a bit more supple. I know early on post stroke I was very stiff in my movements and this has helped
@Gazfish67 just popping by to say hi & welcome to the community. I hope your partner continues to make progress. It sounds like he is very determined so every hope that he will continue improving albeit at a slower pace.
I ponder these same thoughts. Yesterday I actually had a meltdown where I got angry because a lot of time has passed that I don’t feel like any progress is happening. I feel like I’m at a stand still. My husband brought me back around by saying: I’m sorry. I’m just grateful you’re not in a wheelchair.
My ACA stroke was 2-21-23. My main deficit is my left leg is a bit weak and my balance isn’t bad but I feel a lot of things in my head that makes me feel like I’m wobbly. I didn’t have that so much my 1st year. Now it’s that way alot.
As my name has been mentioned on this thread maybe I should say a word.
I think those who have contributed here are creating a very bright light, big enough to let us see around and begin to find a direction, to see one another and glimpse some possibilities.
and thank you, for using my motto, it helps me along, I hope it can do the same for you.
keep on keepin on
One or two on the YouTube channel I just created (aren’t I a smartypants?) have expressed concern that an old creature like myself is taking 'orrible risks that should stop right now before damage is done.
As you can imagine, I feel that this advice is good and I intend in all seriousness to completely ignore it, for now, if not permanently.
Anyway I wouldn’t say I’m doing well but I think there has been a little progress and I feel stacks better.
I agree ; aim high ! We must have complete faith in a full recovery. Anything else is just nonsense. Visualize 100% recovery ; imagine and feel it in every step you make ; total belief ; anything else is just not good enough. We deserve better from ourselves ; for, if we aim short we shall fall short. So here’s to going all the way !!!
@andyhm , I am jumping in and don’t know your background/age etc but I can tell you I have personal experience that a rollator walking aid helps improve walking techniques and you can walk for longer with much less fatigue.
Wishing you all the best in your recovery journey.
There is a book, in which I read this, but I don’t think you need to read a book necessarily to understand this. I forget the name of the book right now, but there are plenty out there where you can read these type of things - self improvement books, motivational books etc.
Further to your meltdown which you attribute to elapsed time and lack of progress, I would like to ask if you think you should have made more progress than you have. Actually that is a dumb question by me, clearly you do think you should have made more progress. So then the question I should ask why do you think you have not made as much progress as you should have?
If you can answer that then maybe you can do something about this.
I don’t know what you have been doing and can’t comment on your lack of progress, but there will be reasons - there always are and sometimes you need someone outside to look. For example, athletes have coaches who look at what they are doing and make suggestions that would help the athlete to improve.
As I write this, I am experiencing a bit of brain fog and so the thing I am looking for is not coming to mind. Essentially what I would like to say is “If something is not working, don’t keep doing it - do something else!”
No pain, no gain - are you pushing yourself through the pain barrier?
In case you are wondering who I think I am telling you what to do or what not to do, I will make it very clear that I am here to offer my views based on my experiences and which I believe will help those who choose to try them. Further, I merely offer these and do not expect anyone to do it or expect it work - they are things I would do, have done, work for me or might work for me.
Ultimately we are all different and what works for one, does not necessarily work for others We must try to find what works for us and build on that.
On that basis, in time I have been here on this forum, I have read a lot, learnt a lot, made lots of suggestions and out into practice what I have learnt from others where I have felt it would benefit me. There are lots of good members on this forum who regularly contribute and share their experiences. All have excellent personal experiences and are living proof of what can be achieved and unless I am mistaken, not one of these regulars accepted that recovery stopped after the first six months, that they will never recover or whatever else they were told when discharged from their stroke rehab/consultancy.
Take from this what you want and discard the rest. It is a personal choice.
It is not necessary to know the background/age etc. to jump in.
You are sharing your personal experience and you doing it because
it has benefitted you; and
you believe it may benefit others
I for one would absolutely take your advice on board if I felt my walking needed improving and a rollator would help me to do that. So thank you very much for sharing
That’s it folks!
Take what you want from this and discard the rest.
