Any help for weak legs complaint?
My dad constantly complains of leg weakness, says it's mostly in his thighs. He's walking less and less because of it, and walks with a very slow, shuffled step. When he goes to any store he seeks out a motorized cart to avoid walking much. He uses a cane for most walking otherwise. When we discussed this with his dr several months back the dr prescribed physical therapy, my dad went to that for 3 months or so, but says it was of no help. He stills goes to exercise 3 times a week, but we both know that's mostly socialization time. We recently added vitamin D and potassium supplements to his meds to see if that might help. This is really impacting his quality of life more than anything else, and has me wondering how much longer I can keep him in his house, as I know it's increasing his fall risk.
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It's unfortunate he thinks PT wasn't helpful, because that's the best way to get supervised exercise. What might not have been helpful though is the focus only on leg exercise. I'm not a therapist, so this is merely from my own experience:
When I had PT the first time for knee issues, the therapist incorporated upper body and core conditioning exercises. My back grew stronger, I felt stronger and could walk straighter, i.e., less leg fatigue.
Perhaps it's time to find a different therapy place. I've always found hospital associated facilities better than commercial facilities.
Is he potassium low, based on a blood test? I'm not sure about its relevance to his specific condition, but usually calcium and D3 are the supplements added.
One thing he can do which would help his lower legs more than upper, but still give him some exercise, is to use the pedal exercise device that's like riding a bike, but there's no stationary bike involved. He can sit in his favorite chair and pedal away, listening to music or watching tv if he prefers.