A few weeks ago, while cleaning up from a Pilates session and prepping for the next session something caught my eye …
The clients from the Pilates class that just finished upstairs were coming downstairs.
More than half of this fit group of women was going down the stairs SIDEWAYS.
What’s up with that?
These were not elderly women. I’d say they ranged in age from late 20’s to late 60’s.
Why are all these seemingly fit women using such an altered gait pattern to descend the stairs?
As I sat and watched, I saw a variety of possible reasons for this sideways maneuver.
- Stiff ankles.
- Quadriceps weakness.
- Gastrocnemius and/or soleus (calf muscle) weakness
- Decreased balance. By turning sideways, they could put two hands instead of one on the railing.
- Patellofemoral pain.
- Hip weakness.
Bottom line: Going down the stairs sideways is not normal and you don’t have to live like this.
All those problems I listed above? They’re all fixable.
This may sound strange to someone who is not a physical therapist, but this is the kind of thing that absolutely lights our team up! It’s WHY we are here. Our purpose, if you will.
And here’s the rub: If this problem is left untreated, it gets worse. Yet treating it is so simple.
We look at how you move. We do a variety of tests to figure out why you use this sideways strategy on stairs and then we address the root cause of the problem.
Lastly, we retrain you to safely descend stairs going straight ahead.
We’re here to help you go down stairs, curbs, ramps and hills, facing straight ahead!
After all, you deserve to take life head-on!
Call/text 206-535-7356 or email schedule@elizabethrogerspt.com to schedule time with our team.
