"Move Better" Series: Floor Mobility Exercises

As we age, getting onto and off of the floor can become a more difficult task.  A loss of lower extremity strength, upper extremity strength, and core strength may negatively affect our ability to move around on the floor and return to standing from the floor.  Floor mobility is important for activities of daily living, including playing with your grandchildren, cleaning tasks, or reaching an item that fell under the bed.  Moving from the floor to standing is also an important skill to work on if you have impaired balance and are at a greater risk of falling.

The video below presents some exercises that can be performed to improve your floor mobility:

The video above includes some of the following exercises:

PLANKS: Forward and side planks with movement are good ways to strengthen your core and shoulders.  Core and shoulder strength is important for helping to roll and push your body onto your knees or feet when trying to stand from the floor. 

SIT-TO-STANDS & LUNGES: These exercises can improve your ability to squat and lunge, stand from various surfaces, including the floor, and perform stairs.  

If you are interested in other tips and exercises to improve your balance and decrease your risk of falling, see our previous blog posts here: 

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE BALANCE & TRANSFERS

STEPS TO TAKE TO AVOID FALLS

If you find that you have extreme difficulty returning from standing from the floor, a visit to a physical therapist may be appropriate to work on other lower level strengthening exercises and floor mobility techniques.  

Questions? Contact Sean Tyler, DPT at sean@salmonbaypt.com.

"Move Better" Series: Exercises To Improve Lower Extremity Mobility And Stability

Yesterday's “Move Better” post presented the Hurdle Step Test, which assesses the mobility and stability of your hips, knees and ankles.  Performing the Hurdle Step Test requires balance, coordination, and mobility through the joints of the moving and standing leg.  If you tried the Hurdle Step Test and had difficulty performing it due to balance or joint mobility deficits, this post will provide exercises that may help address these issues.

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE BALANCE AND STABILITY

Our joints and tendons contain sensory receptors called proprioceptors that respond to the movement and position of the body.  Proprioceptors communicate information to our brain and muscles and help us maintain or change our body position.  A significant part of our static and dynamic balance relies on this proprioceptive system.  Whether we are standing on one leg, walking on a sandy beach, or backpedaling to guard an opponent on the basketball court, these proprioceptors help us control our movement and balance.  Building our proprioception through balance exercises may help us better control positions of our joints during movements, decrease our fall risk, or improve our sports performance.  

The videos below include beginner balance exercises as well as more advanced dynamic balance exercises: 

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE ANKLE MOBILITY 

Dorsiflexion is a motion that occurs at the ankle and involves the movement of the top part of the foot toward the tibia (shin) bone.  When stepping up onto or over an object (like in the Hurdle Step Test) limitations in ankle dorsiflexion may increase your risk of catching your toes or foot on the object or cause you to compensate with increased movement through the hip or trunk.  

 To learn how to improve your ankle dorsiflexion mobility, CLICK HERE.

EXERCISES TO IMPROVE HIP MOBILITY

Stepping over an object (like in the Hurdle Step Test) also requires adequate hip flexion mobility to raise the femur (thigh bone) high enough to help clear the object.  Impairments in hip flexion mobility may also impact other daily activities, like getting down into a squat or lunging.  Hip flexion mobility may be limited by tightness in musculature around the hip joint or restrictions in the hip joint itself. Exercises to improve hip flexion mobility and provided in the video below:

In summary, the Hurdle Step Test is a quick way to assess mobility and stability in parts of the lower extremities.  Check past “Move Better” content for other ways to improve your balance through dynamic strengthening exercises. 

Questions?  Contact sean@salmonbaypt.com.

-Brian Collins, DPT & Sean Tyler, DPT

"Move Better" Series: Exercises To Improve Leg Strength And Power

Yesterday’s “Move Better” post presented the Triple Hop Test, which is a common rehabilitation test to examine someone’s lower extremity strength, power, and postural stability.  The Triple Hop test is often used to determine an individual's readiness to return to sport after an injury.  It is often performed in the later stages of rehab following a knee injury or surgery to help assess lower extremity joint stability, coordination, and ability to accelerate and decelerate on one leg.  

The Triple Hop Test can help assess lower extremity power, which is the ability to generate a high amount of force quickly.  Involvement in sports that require jumping, sprinting and cutting all require lower extremity power in addition to strength and coordination.  Having powerful lower extremities allows a person to control and change their momentum quickly when they make contact with the ground.  Someone’s quickness and explosiveness is often a good indication of the power of their lower extremities.

To improve power in the lower extremities, it is important to perform movements quickly but safely.  Common exercises to improve lower extremity power include sprinting circuits, box jumps, barbell lifts, such as barbell squats and power cleans, kettlebell swings/kettlebell workouts, and plyometric programs.  Because power workouts focus on generating muscle force quickly it is important that good form is used at all times during these faster movements to decrease the risk of injury.   

Some simple exercises that can be performed to improve lower extremity power with minimal equipment are provided in the video below:

Exercises to improve your lower extremity power can help improve your jumping, quickness, and explosiveness for sport and daily activities.  Whether you are involved in sporting or recreational activities, incorporating power exercises into your routine may be worth considering.

Questions?  Contact sean@salmonbaypt.com.

-Brian Collins, DPT & Sean Tyler, DPT

"Move Better" Series: Triple Hop Test

The Triple Hop Test is an easy way to assess your lower extremity power and your ability to accelerate and decelerate on one leg.  Try it out and see how your power, strength, and dynamic balance vary between legs.   

Tomorrow’s‌ ‌“Move‌ ‌Better”‌ ‌post will include co‌ntent on ways to improve your lower extremity strength and power.

-Brian Collins, DPT & Sean Tyler, DPT