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I'm trying to restart my walking after vegetating in my recliner since covid, and my legs are very weak. I tend to be drawn to lean forward as I walk, to the point of feeling unstable, and have to fight this tendency continuously. I have a doctor appointment next month, but would appreciate hearing comments from anyone who has experienced similar problems. Age = 82, but usually very active physically.

@tomberry Hi and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Wow, first congratulations on beating the virus! How was your experience? Did you have a more mild case? Or did I misunderstand and you’re just vegging because of not being able to get out? Anyway, let’s get you back up and walking. We’re not medical professionals on Connect so we can’t make a diagnosis. But we can rely on our experiences to help.

Though I didn’t have covid, I did have a period of time where I was bedridden for 5 weeks. It’s amazing how quickly our muscles atrophy. Especially legs and our core muscles that support the stomach and back.
My legs were really weak too. Doing smaller walks daily helped as did walking up and down a couple stair steps each day, adding more daily when I felt strong enough. But just like you, my balance was unstable and felt like I leaned forward. My oncologist recommended a physical therapist. That was most beneficial. She pointed out that my core muscles had atrophied and needed to bring those back to life to regain stability.

Your symptoms sound very familiar so a suggestion is to try some easy exercises at home. There are several sites online for gentle core exercises for us seniors, and for restoring balance. Some are done in the chair without having to get on the floor. I do most of mine before getting out of bed in the morning with some simple pelvic exercises and leg lifts. One piece of advice I received from the PT was that seniors should never to do crunches. It can be detrimental to our spinal areas.

Definitely talk with your doctor if you don’t see any improvement with your walking. Have you done any strengthening exercises recently? Here a few web sites to get you started. But be very cautious just starting out not to do anything too strenuous or too quickly. Slow and steady wins the race. Wishing you good health! Lori
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/core-exercises/art-20044751#:~:text=Some%20examples%20of%20core%20exercises%20include%20planks%2C%20situps,Avoid%20tilting%20your%20hips.%20Tighten%20your%20abdominal%20muscles.
https://www.silversneakers.com/blog/core-exercises-seniors/

@loribmt, Thank you for these links, Lori. As an elder wanting to improve balance and core strengthening, I look forward to checking these out. And of course the "10 Minute Workout" holds grrreat appeal too!

I'm trying to restart my walking after vegetating in my recliner since covid, and my legs are very weak. I tend to be drawn to lean forward as I walk, to the point of feeling unstable, and have to fight this tendency continuously. I have a doctor appointment next month, but would appreciate hearing comments from anyone who has experienced similar problems. Age = 82, but usually very active physically.

@tomberry, First congratulations on your recovery from Covid...a large feat in itself!!

What you describe from weakened legs and leaning forward is something my sister encountered following a serious surgery and lengthy recovery. At first she had trouble taking even a few steps and feared falling over if she stood for even very short periods.

Initially, she was too weak for pt and her doc suggested she lie flat on her back and just practice lifting & bending her legs. He also suggested she use a walker for increasing her sense of balance and stability. While the walker did give her support, stability and confidence and allowed her to walk & stand for longer periods, it did not address the "leaning forward" you mention.

Now there are adjustable height walkers that make a great difference in allowing the user to stand straight and look forward rather than down. Also utube exercises are available to help increase core and leg strength for those of us elders who don't need p.t. but do need to build strength. Hope you get back to your more active life style quickly and wishing you the best.

@artist01, other parrot story sharers and @becsbuddy, Like Linda, I've thoroughly enjoyed each of your entertaining stories of your clever, witty, cantankerous birds. On my walk yesterday I began wondering what I might have missed from not adding a feathered friend to my pet family.

This morning I received an e-mail from the very cousin who delighted as a child in freeing her cockatiel or canary from its cage and then peeling with laughter as that varmint unfailingly headed straight for my head. After 6 decades, the time has come to confront her and bring her to account, yes? smiles

Another lasting memory from all the years we shared summer visits in each others' homes occurred during those early years at about 5-7 yrs old. Standing in her bathroom, she pointed to a bit of change on a linen shelf and solemnly announced that "this is all the money in the world we have". Wellll, there was no loose change on our linen shelves so I began wondering if that meant we had even less???

Don't know if anyone else does this but in conversations with another and before starting a new thread, I'll frequently "preface" with some background what I'm going to share. By the time I've gone "round the world and back", I can't remember what the original topic was I'd intended. And to be clear, this started decades before any silver hairs showed up! Just sayin' that going "off topic" is often more natural than managing to stay "on". And yes, this is the "walking thread" so why am I sharing "loose change" stories? No way I can tie this to walking shares!!! Best to all!

@tomberry, Hello. I'm 85 and had similar experience when walking. Like you, I've always been very active until a few years ago, following two small strokes and a Giant Cell Arteritis diagnosis. Do you use a walker? That was my solution. It got me standing up straight again, feeling stable, and much more confident when I walked. My walker is the four-wheeler type and I really swear by it. My best to you. Laurie

@loribmt, Thank you for these links, Lori. As an elder wanting to improve balance and core strengthening, I look forward to checking these out. And of course the "10 Minute Workout" holds grrreat appeal too!