Easy Leg Exercises for Stroke Patients

Stroke rehabilitation majorly focuses on hand recovery as well as leg recovery. Legs and hands are important limbs of our bodies that are responsible, or which help us do our day-to-day activities. Hence, it's especially important to have active and functional hands and legs. We have a list of exercises for you to do at least twice a day for ease of movement during recovery.

1. Lifting Leg Up and Down

So, the first exercise that you will do for your legs will start from your hips. If you are someone who lacks balance, then it might be a better idea to do this exercise while sitting. It starts by trying to march from your place or else lifting your leg up and down. If your feel that your leg is weak, and you are not able to do it by yourself then you can help with your free hand to do this task.

2. Weight Bearing with Legs Crossed

You can use your affected hand and put it right on top of the knees and with your unaffected hand, push down through your knee. Keep pushing until you feel the weight on that leg. Now if this is not enough then you should lean forward and do a little more.

3. Hip External Rotator Stretches

Now instead of crossing your unaffected side, try to bring your affected leg up and put it right on top of your knee. Then lean forward and you’re going to feel a nice stretch in your gluteal muscles and your hip. The more you lean forward the more you feel it in your hip. Be careful when you do this exercise. You need to have enough core strength to be able to do this.

4. Hip Internal/ External Rotation with Knee Belt

You need to use a towel if you’re going to do this exercise on tile or you can use a magazine if you’re going to do them or carpet. Make sure your foot is right on top. The first exercise was going to have you do to move your leg in and out. Make sure your knee is bent, it's relaxed in a 90 degrees position. You need to do two sets of ten. Use your unaffected side to bring your leg in and out. Two different motions are happening at your hip each time you bring your leg in and out. We call them internal rotation and external rotation. Then, instead of moving to the side, you must continue by extending your leg forward and then back.

5. Hip Flexion with Hold

We want you to keep your knees straight and then lift them up. This motion is going to help with your hip flexors, very important muscles. You can go ahead and hold it for a little bit and then relax. Try to do two sets of ten. Then for the next set try and hold it a little bit longer.

6. Assisted Toe Raises with The Opposite Foot

For this exercise, you can use your other foot, or you can also use a towel if you’re unable to do it with your foot. Take the towel and wrap it around your ankle and lift or you can use a cane if you have one. You must bring your unaffected side, hook that foot under your affected side and you’re going to print your toes up as much as you can, towards the ceiling, and back down. We want you to do these exercises as much as you can on your own. If you must, you can use your hand to give yourself a little lift but don’t do too much. Don’t depend so much on your unaffected side to do things with your affected side.