7 months without updates makes my last hiatus seem like a weekend away, but here we go for a couple of posts to round up what’s been going on in 2026.
Using the 4-wheeled walker
My experience of the four-wheel walker was mixed. I generally found it more stable than sticks, and having a seat with some storage was often handy, but it was also a pain in the arse to lug around and store. I had concluded that, if I was going to continue with a walker I would want to get a light-weight folding type. I’d not had it long though before I started physio classes (more below) and it seemed sensible to see how the classes panned out before buying something.
Physio classes
Physio Jess got me registered on a lower limb class with the community physio team. It was a six week course that focused on balance. There were three of us there regularly and a couple of others who attended occasionally, and two physios – Liz and Joe who were absolutely brilliant. One of the other patients, Chris, had a different condition to me but we had almost identical symptoms and it was great to be able to talk about what we were ok doing and encouraging each other to try things the other was doing. As I say, Liz and Joe were absolutely excellent. They would push us but were very aware when we might be looking to push a bit more than we might manage and draw us back. Between thorough warm up and cool down sessions we did various balance exercises, walking between parallel bars with differing levels of support, and also up and down a few steps.
On the first day we did a test to see what our walking was like. It was a simple stand up, walking a few meters, round a cone and back and then sit down. We could use sticks/walker as necessary. Liz timed us doing this a couple of times to set a baseline. On week 6 we then did the same to see what (if any) improvement we’d made. I was amazed at how much I’d improved, so the exercises and the tips that Joe and Liz gave me really worked. As the end of the 6 weeks approached the three regulars of us all agreed we wished we could continue. Liz explained that unfortunately we couldn’t repeat it, but said she could refer us on to a 6-week mat class that her and Joe would be starting in a couple of weeks. Having checked that when she talked about a “mat” class she wasn’t suggesting that us 3 blokes could join a maternity class 😳 we signed up. As well as a regular 5 minutes on the bike, I’d had a go on the treadmill. Not with it moving me, but with me pushing it round. Being able to hold the supports and walk it round was good for helping to build up some strength, once I’d got over the initial effort of getting it moving at all. However, when Joe suggested I tried walking it backward, it was a complete non-starter. We tried this a couple of weeks but couldn’t manage it. On the final week while I was doing some other exercises I spotted Chris on the rower and figured if he could do it then maybe I could as well. Joe got me sorted and carefully monitored me whilst I gingerly tried it and I was really pleased that I found it ok. After the session I had a chat with Joe about what equipment I could use. I explained that the physios I saw after surgery had very much warned me off using things like a cross-trainer, tower etc. Joe said he could understand why that would be the case in the months after surgery, but the fact it had been over 18 months since surgery he felt I’d be fine doing some exercises like that, as long as I kept it to low intensity and kept the focus on the movement rather than using the equipment to build muscle or burn calories.
It turns out the mat class was quite literally exercises on a mat – although given that two of us have trouble getting up off the floor we would be able to do them on the bench beds.
The mat classes were much more focused on core exercises. Once again they were really helpful, with Liz and Joe pushing us just enough but leaving us in a fit state to leave the building. 😀 All the exercises they gave us were things we could do on a bed at home. There are two significant difference with them at home though. First, you have to motivate yourself to do them, something I’ve been extremely variable with achieving. Secondly, doing the exercises on a slightly padded, but basically hard physio bench is very different to doing them on a bed, where it feels so much of your effort is going down into the mattress rather than up into your body. Nevertheless I am trying to persist with this. I completely understand why we can’t keep cycling around the classes at physio, but I do miss having our weekly sessions, from the supervised exercise, the banter with Joe and Liz, Joe’s sometime dodgy playlists that we had in the background, and doing exercises with people in a similar predicament. Next step is for Ruth and I to find a gym that I can access easily enough so I’m not knackered before I even start, and have instructors who don’t see me as a risk. Then we can start going together and I can get some regular sessions on a bike, treadmill, rower and cross-trainer.