Staircase strides to help PD shuffle…
I will never claim to be an expert on Parkinson’s. My purpose is to share what I know, in my unique path with this disease.
I have always been active. I feel very fortunate to have had execise as part of my daily routine, since with PD, being active is highly recommended.
I live at a lake in the summer -a privilege- the ultimate in relaxation, which is also a plus with PD. A couple of years ago when the weather was particularly wet and chilly, I thought, “How am I going to keep this body moving?” Then I glanced to my left at my parents-in-law’s cottage where they had a staircase from the cottage to the lake of approx 70 stairs. I shuffled over and took the steps 2 at a time- it just felt good to exaggerate my leg strides and extend my arms in a full swing. I must have gone up(two steps at a time) and down (one step at a time) five times and although it was tiring, also exhilerating. I had a railing to hover my hand over to catch me if I was to lose my balance.
I made a conscious effort to stop before I became too exhausted or tripped due to foot fatigue….I have found it’s always wise to quit before PD forces you to stop by succuming to an unintended fall. What happened next amazed me….I was about to shuffle my way back through the woods to my cottage when I found myself not shuffling but walking with proper strides!! I perfectly stepped through the 100 metres to my cottage porch and then turned down our gravel driveway and kept striding. My husband called out to me, “Where are you going?” My reply was, “Look! I’m walking normally….I don’t want to stop!!”
What I found by accident, was that my over-exaggerated two step at time stair climbing helped my normal walk stride to improve. My improved gait didn’t last forever, but since I’ve learned that there is a program for PD people called the “BIG” program which follows the premise of practicing large movements to improve mobility. So…try a staircase, 2 steps at a time and see if you can stifle that shuffle!
