My Clinic routine:
Re-read patient notes
Re-check their X-ray / MRI film
Open my clinic door
Call patient name..
..and Watch 🧐
You can tell a lot from those first few seconds..
Patients have been sat down for a few minutes
We all stiffen up a bit..
Some POP up, + bounce into the room
Many need to use the arms of their chair
Some throw themselves forward to stand up..
In the clinic room
We pin down their History
And, as I start the Examination
I double check their sit-to-stand..
“Can you stand up with arms crossed..?”
And I see the same spectrum of ability.
Those who can pop up, those who really need to concentrate..
It’s still a useful test for those who can easily pop up..
“Now put one heel forward and do the same..”
“..and the other leg..”
“Does each leg feel different?”
Invariably one leg- often the bad one- feels weaker.
I advise people use it as a good test.
(it can jar the knee or hip so it's not an everyday test)
Sit-to-stand tests the main thigh muscle- the quadriceps or quads (literally 4 heads: vastus medialis, lateralis, intermedius and rectus femoris)
The quads are the main muscle we use walking:
Up + down hill
Up + down stairs
On uneven ground.
So, if your quads are weak then you’ll be jamming the extra force of bodyweight through your hip or knee.
Worth thinking about if your sit-to-stand is weak.
If you feel it's weak or if there's an imbalance..
The bike is the way to build back that strength..
Low impact cycling.
The bike gets you to the point where you start to use your quads again. And an upward virtuous spiral begins..
Stronger quads muscle => Less pain, move movement.
=> Stronger quads muscle 👊
