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Advice
• Always wear proper footwear (for example: slippers, not backless as they may slip off).
• Stairs or a Step (if you have them at home) will be practised before you go home.
• Walking is a good exercise after you have been discharged from the hospital, but make sure you do it little and often. Practise stepping through one foot after the other.
• Avoid shuffling your feet when walking, instead lift your feet up.
These exercises should be repeated 10 times and performed 2-3 times per day.
Exercise 1
Take a large breathe in through your nose. When you are as full as you can manage, gently pause, and then slowly breathe out. Repeat this 3 times. Repeat this regularly throughout the day.
Exercise 2
When sitting in a chair or lying in bed:
• Draw big circles with your ankles.
• Point toes up and down.
Exercise 3
Sitting or lying on your back
Squeeze your buttocks together.
Hold each exercise for 5-10 seconds, relax then repeat.
Exercise 4
• Sit or lie with your leg straight in front of you.
• Squeeze your thigh muscle so that your knee pushes down towards the floor.
• Pull your toes up towards you and hold for 5 seconds, relax then repeat.
Exercise 5
• Lying on the bed, try taking your leg out to the side and then back in towards the middle.
• Alternate and perform on both legs. Relax, then repeat.
Exercise 6
• Lying on the bed with legs straight out in front of you.
• Slide the heel of your operated leg towards your bottom and allow your hip and knee to bend.
• Do not bend beyond 90 degrees, allow your leg to slowly straighten and repeat.
Exercise 7
Stand with your hands supported on a stable surface.
Lift the knee of your operated leg towards your chest, therefore bending your hip.
Lower your foot to the floor and repeat x10.
Change to the un-operated leg and Repeat x 10
Exercise 8
• In the same position as before, move your operated leg behind you as far as possible before returning to the starting position.
• Keep your back and knee straight throughout the exercise.
• Repeat x10 before repeating on the un-operated leg.
Continued (exercise 8)
Exercise 9
• In the same position as before, move your operated leg out to the side as far as possible, before returning to the starting position.
• Keep your body straight throughout.
• Repeat x10 before repeating on un-operated leg.
Exercise 10
Stand in front of a stable surface, like a table or a frame.
With feet shoulder width apart, take your hands off the support.
Aim to stand for 30 seconds unsupported.
If unable to, do as long as you can and gradually increase.