WALKING BETTER DOWN STAIRS If you struggle with climbing and descending stairs, you are not alone. Many many people affected with a neurological condition find stairs super challenging. In this video, we are going to work on going down stairs. Descending stairs requires four big things: 1. Ankle / Knee mobility 2. Leg strength 3. Core stability 4. Healthy vestibular function However, trying to slowly lower your body 7.5 inches (18 cm) when you lack any one of the four key elements above can make going down stairs extremely frustrating. Instead of “force feeding” that movement into your brain, which likely doesn’t have that range of motion available, we can progressively improve your joint mobility, muscular strength, core stability, and vestibular (balance) function in smaller steps… literally. You can master the “down stairs” movement using 1 inch (2.5 cm) platforms to build up to a standard step height. This progressive approach will encourage your body to move and train in a way that will not stress out your brain and cause more symptoms. They KEYS to mastering this movement: 1. Use the appropriate level of balance support (wall, walker, countertop, railing). 2. Drop SLOWLY into the movement paying attention to RELAXING your body. 3. Pause at the bottom of the movement and find your balance. 4. Push your body back onto the top of the platform using your quads, glutes, and core. Once you can perform 10-15 reps on BOTH LEGS with less dependence on your assistive device or surface, INCREASE THE HEIGHT of your platform by 1 inch (2.54 cm). If you can aim to improve an inch every two weeks, it is possible that you will be able to walk up and down stair with more ease and confidence within 12-16 weeks. That would be HUGE! #multiplesclerosis #movementismedicine #neurologicconditions #chronicillness #neurologicaldisorder #disabledtiktok #fyp #foryoupage #mssucks