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Exercises to strengthen weak legs are especially indicated for the elderly, when the person shows signs of muscle weakness, such as legs shaking when standing, difficulty walking and poor balance.
Muscle weakness in the legs can be caused by several factors, such as neuromuscular problems, nutritional deficiency, accumulation of toxins, tiredness, exhaustion or simply due to the loss of muscle mass due to aging.
Typical symptoms of weak legs are difficulty walking with loss of balance, difficulty getting up from a chair or bed, for example. When these signs are present, an exercise program should be started, which normally includes exercises that strengthen the knee flexor and extensor muscles, hip adduction and abduction, dorsiflexion and plantar flexion.
The series indicated below can be performed at home, in order to complement the treatment:
1. Elevation of the leg
- Lie on your back with your arms by your sides
- Raise a straight leg and then descend
- Repeat 10 times with each leg
2. Leg opening
- Lie on your side with your legs bent
- Keep your heels in the same direction as your hips and back
- Keep your feet together and open your upper leg, without losing your hip balance and then going down
- Repeat 10 times with each leg
3. Scissors
- Lie on your back with your arms by your sides
- Folds both legs
- Raise both legs up to 90º (resting on an imaginary chair)
- Contract the abdomen and place the tip of each foot against the dog, returning to the starting position
4. Leg extension
- Standing upright, holding the back of a chair, or if you prefer to support both hands on a wall
- Elevate one leg later, without touching the foot
- Repeat 10 times with each leg
5. Squat
- Standing with feet slightly apart
- Bend your legs, squatting your body
- If you want more balance you can touch your hands in front of your body, keeping your arms straight in front of you.
- Attention, that the knees must not exceed the imaginary line that comes from the big toe
6. Squeeze the ball
- Lying on your back should keep your hands at your sides
- Fold both legs and place a soft ball or towel wrapped between your knees
- Press the ball with your legs 10 times in a row
7. Opening legs, on the side
- Lying on your side, use one arm to support your head, the other should be positioned in front of your chest
- Keep your legs straight
- Open the top leg 10 times in a row
8. Calf
- Standing keep your feet very close to each other
- Standing on tiptoe 15 times in a row
This series of exercises can be done at home and help to strengthen the lower and gluteal muscles, which contributes to combat shaking, weak legs, and imbalance. However, the physiotherapist will be able to indicate other exercises that he deems most suitable respecting the limits and needs of each person.
As these exercises become easier, elastics and weights of 1-5 kg should be used to increase muscle endurance, achieving better results. These exercises should be performed 2-3 times a week, for 8-12 weeks and then to evaluate the results.
Other aerobic exercises should also be indicated to increase breathing capacity and fatigue, and flexibility exercises, such as stretching the muscles, can decrease spasticity and prevent future painful contractions.