Strategies for Stairs

In an ideal world, we would all be going up and down stairs effortlessly and reciprocally: this means stepping up with the left foot on one step, and the right foot on the next step up. In an ideal world, we would have a hand on the railing, just for a safety measure. 

^reciprocal stair pattern (one foot per step) 

...But since we live in the REAL world, and not the ideal world, we need some different options for how to go up and down stairs! I put together three common scenarios, and a helpful stair strategy for each one. Try them out and see what works best for you.

SCENARIO 1: stairs are very fatiguing for you, or you don’t quite have the strength to be able to reciprocally climb stairs 

TRY: taking stairs one at a time. This means both feet step onto each stair. This is called a step-to pattern. If you can, try to alternate which foot leads, and that way both legs get to do some of the work. This helps to prevent one leg from becoming weaker than the other one. 

^step-to stair pattern (both feet on each step) 

SCENARIO 2: you have one “bad” leg. This could mean an injured knee, a sprained ankle, or just one leg that is simply weaker than the other. 

TRY: leading with your “good leg” going UP the stairs- so if your left knee is injured, step up with your “good” right foot, then bring your left leg up to that step. Repeat this, stepping with the “good” right foot up to the next step, and bringing your left leg up behind you. This way your “good leg” is able to do the work in order to let your injured limb rest. If you have the option to use the railing on either side, choose the one closest to your “bad” leg. Meaning, if your left knee is injured, use the left handrail if it’s available. If there is only one railing, use it, regardless of which side it’s on. 

^I step up with my "good" right leg for each stair, and my "bad" left leg follows behind

When you go back down the stairs, try leading with your “bad leg” first: so again, if your left knee is injured, you will put that left leg down the step first, then bring your “good” right foot down to meet it on that step. Repeating that pattern, the left leg lowers down to the next step, and then the right foot follows to meet it on that next step down. This way, your “good leg” is doing all the work to lower your body weight down each step, so there is less strain on your injured leg. Like with going up the stairs, you’ll want to utilize the railing on the same side as your “bad” leg, if it’s available (so again, using the left handrail if your left leg is your “bad” leg). If there is only one railing, use it, regardless of which side it’s on. 

^I lower my "bad" left leg down first, then step my "good" right leg down to meet it 

"Up with the good, and down with the bad" is the saying we always use in physical therapy to help our patients remember this pattern.

SCENARIO 3: you still feel unsteady or unsafe going up and down stairs, even if you take the stairs one at a time (such as in scenario 1)

TRY: facing sideways! This way, you can hold the railing with both hands. In this setup, you will be side-stepping up (or down) the stairs. A lot of people utilize this strategy if the stairs are very steep or narrow, if they are unfamiliar with the stairs, or if they are generally wobbly on stairs and feel better with the extra hand support.  

^side-stepping stair strategy so both hands can hold the railing (works for going up and going down) 

Want to improve your strength and confidence to more easily navigate stairs? Try a step-up exercise! At the bottom of your stairs, step up onto the first step and then lower yourself back down. Repeat 8-12 times, and then switch feet and do the same on the other leg. Position yourself next to the railing so you can have a hand for balance support. Try not to push or pull on the railing too much- your goal is to make your leg muscles do all the work. Try doing this 3-5 days a week to build your leg strength so that stairs are more manageable for you. 

If you don’t have a set of stairs to do this, you can use a sturdy step stool. Place it next to your kitchen sink, so that you have something to hold onto. 

Our muscles are very specific, which means that the best way to strengthen them in order to be successful with certain tasks, is to do exercises that most closely resemble that particular movement. So, if you want to improve your ability to climb stairs, the best exercise is… climbing stairs! This is why a step-up exercise is such an effective exercise: because you are working the muscles exactly how they need to function for this task.

To watch the videos of these stair navigation strategies described in this post, click here to watch on Facebook, or click here to watch on Instagram. 

How do you navigate stairs: is it one of the strategies above, or do you do something different? 

Do you have topics that you’d like to see me cover in a future blog post? Email me at [email protected] - I love hearing from you.