Hi kaz you can walk further than me . Well done . If you can let me know which exercises helped I’d love to try them z, luv sue
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Thanks loshy. Mini steps but hopefully all the mini steps will make a major strep one day x
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That is excellent, I use one hand but that’s all I can use. My wife is 88 (mercifully no stroke) and persists in getting up with a plate in each hand.
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Here’s a couple videos of what you can do with a balance ball with resistance bands.
The resistance bands on mine are too weak for me so I don’t use them.
When I first started using it, at the gym I’d set up beside a hand railing on one side of me and used a 5ft long barbell bar in the other hand…I was that unsteady 
At home I set it up beside the side or back of an armchair and held my broom in the other hand. Gradually I progressed to just needing the bar/broom, until eventually I could do without.
If you have extendable walking sticks, maybe they’d be just a good…they’d need to be extended to allow for the additional height of the ball.
I don’t know how we’d do that but we could sort something out in messaging…chat would be good but for our time differences
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I misunderstood the ball. Yours is flat at the bottom. Mine is an actually ball. I can sit on it, for a short time. LOL. I can roll on it just a little. I won’t ever be standing on it, for certain. I stand on pillows, but must be near a cabinet to hold on to or grab. I had not seen a ball like that before. You are quite far ahead of me, but we could actually measure the change in ourselves, from where we are now, to where we are next time (i do therapy weekly)…and of course, just for fun!
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Hi Deann that would b great . I’m sure we can make a time to suit x
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The half ball is probably much the same as pillows. Physio recommend pillows to me I just didn’t fancy tramping all over them which is why I got the ball.
But yes, I am a lot further ahead of you. I go hiking with group of similarly aged folk, though not stroke survivors. We cover a varied terrain over hills and dales, all be it at a slower pace compared to our youth 
. Which is a step up from pounding the pavements on safe level ground in the first year post stroke; now that did get a bit monotonous 
Going back to balancing, that can be practiced anywhere you’re standing still. Whilst cooking a meal, you’ve got cabinets to hold on to, even in the supermarket if you use a trolley you can practice as you wait in line at the till. It’s just a matter of setting one foot on top of the other or the sole against the opposite ankle.
It’s just a matter of relaxing into it and the best way I can describe it is it’s like you sit on the hip of the standing leg, knee in neutral (as opposed to rigidly straight) and just focus on a spot straight ahead. If your mind is too busy all over the place you may be less stable in your balance. But with lots of practice and focus, in time, you will be able to type a post as you stand one leg, just as I’m doing now 
Now that really burnt my butt cheek but I did it yaaaaa But I only typed this one paragraph 
Anyway, that’s one small example of how you switch it up, make it a challenge and have fun some with balancing. And your standing leg always gets a thoroughly good workout from the top of your hip right down your toes.
So, now…who’s up for the challenge
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Thanks for all those great tips. I will deffo try them and hope my balance improves. It must be so nice to be able to walk over uneven ground! Can’t wait to be safe enough to join a walking group. As you say pounding the same pavements can be boring . Off to try some of your tips while I make a drink. I’ll let you know when it becomes easier . Luv sue x
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Well done Suzywong. 
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Hi Suzy my excises that I have been doing helping me are all to improve core muscles first all you can do all of them lying on your bed or floor with some space around you first of lying flat lift your left leg to about6 inches of floor or bed keeping it straight hold for as long as you can in that position then lower back down and then repeat with right legs usual do about twenty times on both legs but you will need to do as many as you can build it up next lying still flat starting with both legs together then take left leg and rotate it till nine o clock on clock face and bring back together again with right leg which is still at 12 o clock on face of clock now move right leg till three o clock of face of clock then take back to left leg repeat this twenty times on both legs the third and last exercise for now is lining flare still bring left leg but keeping your foot flat to floor or bed if you are doing it on bed and draw leg up to your stomach then back down do this twenty times or as many as you can and repeat with right leg that three of my exercises for now see how get on with them and let me know and then try add another three more once you manage these ok take care do as much as you can at first build it up it takes time take care stay safe Kaz61
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That is so helpful. I can do two of those well, but the 9pm, 3pm is hard for me to do, which means I need it. Thank you so much for sharing!
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The trick is not to push it. Take easy, take it slowly, take it only as far as it’ll go. Your reach will improve with time as you build up your core muscles and practice 
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Yes absolutely you need to build it up over long time but it those help you to o build up your core muscles which also helps your balance to walk so hope it helps anyone who wants to try but please only do the amount you can cope with don’t over do it as it took long time to build for me but feel so good for it now I have to be really careful toss I was diagnosed with heart failure at same time I had my stroke so have to really know my limits take care all best Kaz61
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Sorry @Kaz61 I was just referring to how far DeAnn might reach her legs to the 9pm/3pm positions. If she can’t quite reach to 9 o’clock then just go as far as you can because it still works and these are good simple core exercises worth doing. They’ll also give the legs a bit of workout too Personally I prefer using the bed for those, floors are a bit hard on my bony back and joints
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Thanks kaz for taking the time to explain those exercises . I’ll give them a try luv sue
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I would like to know how you are all doing. You have been so helpful to me. Vestibular therapy is helping me and many of the exercises are the same as you all have suggested, along with more eye exercises. As explained to me, my eyes see, but my brain does not trust my eyes and compensates in it’s own way. I am told it is a matter of practice to get the two to work together again. It is working, but I still need advanced exercises with plenty of practice.
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I’m still trying to work out how this platform fails to provide the heading for the threads like this in my list of new or unreads even though I try scouring for new latest unread etc etc .
Did the talk about peer support group encouraging each other and competing with oneself for progress ever come to fruition?
Groups with that motivation are a vision of mine as I set out in https://bit.ly/strokepeersupport - scroll down to the heading that says imagine… For a thumbnail of the sort of idea you’re talking about .
so far despite having talked to the CEO of different strokes, various people within the stroke association like head of digital products, various professionals and university professors and PhD students and one or two clinic owner or app entrepreneurs I havent actually got traction from anybody which I think is a great shame . Perhaps no imagination but more to the point no visceral need whereas we do have real need
With effort I think something could be achieved. If the effort is shared amongst a number of people I think it’s only a small effort over a fair period…
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I’m still not very mobile, but I remember being told that when standing up,
“nose goes over toes”.
keep on keepin’ on
When standing, hold gently onto a support to aid balance and keep upright.
Push up onto toes, and down.
Bend knees and lower a little then back up.
Repeat.
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In keeping with this post’s heading ‘Getting up without use of hands’, at last weeks Strength & Balance class, I was singled out to the genuflection (go down on one knee and come back up) hand free and I did it…albeit a wobbly 
I have practiced since the class but I’m still wobbly and it bit slow doing it hence the wobble. But slow is also very good as it strengthens the leg muscles more, so I’m not complaining 
Wonder what my instructor has instore for me today 
@DeAnn are any of your eye exercises the kind you can be practicing daily as you go about your business? I’m so glad they are working for you though, keep it up 
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Almost all of them are to be practiced in daily life. I am to walk on different textures…grass, dirt, carpet, cement, metal grating, rubber mats…all while trying to look up and down, left and right trying to focus on whatever I look toward, and talking with someone and listing to noises, hopefully while there are cars and people moving about. I have trouble with focusing, so if I look at you, you might have four noses, at 3, 6, 9 and 12 if your face were a clock. Noise and lights, most especially flashing or changing lights, really throw me off, even more so when they are unexpected. Sunlight is the worst. Patterns on floors and walls also throw me off. Everything is like looking into a kaliedescope to me and I feel lost in space, not knowing which direction is up or down. It’s like floating and that is what makes me fall. I am becoming accustomed to it and don’t fall as much, but I would actually like to see, and to drive. Thank you for asking. As for the competition… I can now stand on my good leg for one minute, and on the bum leg for 30 seconds. That is with eyes closed. Because of my vision issue, eyes closed or darkness work better for me. I do list to the left when walking or standing. Trying to get my center of balance committed to memory. I am to work on the pillow balancing much more often and on focusing on distance and near, back and forth as well.
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