My name is Andrea. i live in Havant, Hampshire. — Scope | Disability forum
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My name is Andrea. i live in Havant, Hampshire.

Andywedg
Andywedg Community member Posts: 1 Listener
edited October 2020 in Cerebral palsy
I have hemiplegia Cerebral Palsy on my left side.   I use a walker when I go out anywhere as my balance isn't what it used to be.   I am having a lot of falls indoors and have been advised to move to a bigger flat suitable for someone in a wheelchair by a GP.  Last week I had a fall outside whilst walking my dog.   Is there any exercises I could do at home as I can't put any weight on my right leg at the moment as my walker collapsed trapping my right leg when I fell.  Usually when I fall I end up sitting down, but on this occasion I went sideways and forgot to let go of my walker.  I normally go to an exercise class in Waterlooville on Thursday lunchtime at the community centre.

Comments

  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi and welcome I am sorry about your falls and the difficulties you are having 

    I will tag in a couple of people who may be able to help 

    @Richard_Scope
    @chiarieds

    Can you offer any advice 
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @Andywedg and welcome to the community :) 

    Sorry to hear about the falls you've been having, have you been to your GP to discuss the situation? They may be able to suggest some appropriate exercises for you.
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  • Richard_Scope
    Richard_Scope Posts: 3,638 Scope online community team
    Hi @Andywedg
    I fall a lot too! What type of exercise class was it that you attended in Waterlooville? There are lots of online classes that you can attend and participate in a seat.

    Adaptive Yoga
    Move it or Lose it
    Inclusfit Classes 


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  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Community member Posts: 16,007 Disability Gamechanger
    Thank you for the tag @janer1967 - & hi & welcome to the community @Andywedg I'm sorry about the bad fall you had recently, Andrea. Have you mentioned this to your GP to check about any damage being done to your right leg? As far as exercise goes, I'm happy to mention a couple of exercises, but if they increase any pain you have, please stop. If you are able to do them, just start doing a few, & build up the number of times you do them slowly. Try the exercises 3 times a day
    1. Sitting with your back straight in a chair, straighten your right leg whilst pulling your foot up at right angles to your lower leg. If you put your hand on your thigh, you should feel those muscles tightening. Lower your leg back down fairly slowly until your foot is back down on the floor. Repeat 5 times.
    2. Lying on your bed, an exercise for the same muscles, but this time raising the whole leg. It's often helpful to roll a small towel up & put it your right knee, to give you a better idea how to do this correctly at first.
    Push your right knee down onto the towel, & at the same time pull your foot up at right angles to your leg. Your heel should have lifted up slightly from the bed. Hold for a few seconds, then gently & slowly relax until your foot is back down on the bed. Repeat 3 - 5 times.
    To progress this, do the above, then with a completely straight leg, lift this up to about 45 degrees, then lower your leg, still keeping it straight, as slowly as you can (the last few degrees before your foot is back down on the bed are the hardest).
    3. Still lying down, clench your buttocks, hold for 5 seconds, & relax. Repeat 5 times.
    4. Again lying down, with a straight right leg, move this gently away from your other leg sliding it across the bed, then back towards your other leg. Repeat 5 times.
    Try these, & see how you get on. If it's too painful don't do them (tho number 3 shouldn't cause any problems), as this just sets up a vicious cycle of more pain. Be gentle with yourself. Hope this may help.
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    Welcome to the community @Andywedg! I really hope the above advice has been useful :) 
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