Your Questions Answered - Exercises to Lift My Leg!

I recently asked my social media following to submit questions you have regarding MS - from symptoms and lifestyle changes to disease progression and management. I received dozens of messages and I'll try to address all of them eventually. Each week I'll open up the virtual mailbag and answer one question. Thank you so much for participating; knowledge is power so...here we go!

Question: What exercises can I do to help me lift my leg?

Answer: This is a great question and the answer might surprise you! The best exercise to help you lift your leg is to practice lifting your leg in the exact position you're having difficulty in. For example: if you have a difficult time lifting your leg to get into bed, then you should practice sitting at the edge of your bed and lifting your leg up. Even if there is little or no leg movement occurring, practicing this allows your brain to create a neural connection from your brain to your hip flexors so that you can lift your leg (thank you, neuroplasticity!!). It takes a LOT of practice, but every repetition is a chance for that neural connection to get stronger, resulting in more strength in lifting your leg.

If you're a visual learner, like me, you may find THIS VIDEO helpful.

Neuroplasticity can take days, weeks, months, or years to find a pathway that will result in increased strength. The trick is to keep up your hope and consistency!

 According to research, neuroplasticity IS happening behind the scenes of our brains when we are exercising... so keep going!

If you didn't get a chance to ask your question in the last email I sent out... now you can! Click here submit a question. I'll answer it here in my weekly email.