The easiest way is not always the best way

When the physical therapist first came to my house to begin my exercise program, he asked me to perform several basic functions for him. I knew he was assessing my strength, but I did not know he was also looking for bad habits. As I went through my routines of sitting down, standing up, walking, etc., the therapist just stood there without commenting. When I was through he explained what he was seeing in my current practices and why I was often doing more harm than good.

One routine that I began several of years ago was how I stood up from a chair. I compensated for the weakness in my quads by spreading my legs as far apart as possible, leaning over my legs, and pushing up while trying to get my weight (torso) over the knees. He said that this was a mistake. He asked me to keep my legs vertical (directly underneath the knees) and not spread them. He also wanted me to use my arms more to push off as my quads took control of lifting the torso. He felt that the spread-leg position was actually more dangerous and put too much stress on the quads. He was right.

Another routine (nice word for bad habit) of mine is how I walked with a cane or walker. I placed a lot of weight on my arms (or arm if using a cane) to hold me up while walking. This forced me to lean slightly forward. The P.T. asked me to trust my legs a little more and use my arms only if I needed them. The therapist said that I was using my arms as the main means of support and this was causing posture problems as well as tiring me out quicker.

He also said to stop looking down while walking. I needed to stand upright and look forward to change my posture and center of gravity. One way he helped me accomplish this shift was to raise the height of the cane and walker so that my arms were at a 45-degree angle to the cane's handle and walker's grab bars. I did not feel comfortable with the change initially, but the more I practiced the easier it became.

While standing over the kitchen and bathroom counters, he noticed that I also leaned forward. He said I was doing the same thing as when I was walking. The center of gravity and posture were in front of me and not in alignment. Week after week he had me standing at attention (shoulders back and eyes facing forward) to keep the spinal column straight and aligned. He also had me perform an exercise every day where I stand with my feet slightly apart and back straight (standing at attention). I then began to rock to the left and right (shifting my weight to each leg) sixty times as I maintained a straight (aligned) posture. I gradually gained confidence, strength, and improved my balance. This is now one of my morning exercises.

The key for me was how I felt during the routine and afterwards. I did feel safer (more in control) and stronger. My balance also improved with my increased leg strength. I also found it easier to breathe when sitting or standing with the body aligned (straight).

That is the good news. The bad news is that I am still a little lazy. It is easy to revert to my bad habits on those days I feel weak. Fortunately, the daily exercises and practice makes it easier to catch myself and correct these bad habits.


 
Please feel free to comment. By taking a moment to share your thoughts you add much to these articles. The articles then become more than just something I said or believe. In addition, by adding a comment, you might just be helping the next reader by sharing your opinion, experience, or a helpful tip. You can comment by clicking on "comments" below or by sending me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.