How Ankle Weights Helped Me Stop Dragging My Foot After Stroke

We had just finished breakfast at the resort on our honeymoon.

While walking by the hostess stand, my left foot clipped a floor mat and I tripped, almost face-planting into a couple waiting to be seated.

Embarrassed, I quickly adjusted the floor mat, smiled at the couple I almost fell into and left the restaurant cursing my stroke-affected left leg.

At this point – about two-and-a-half years post-stroke – I had little to no mobility issues from the stroke, but my left foot would still occasionally drag behind me, especially if I was tired.

In the weeks following this restaurant incident, I remained frustrated should I ever hear my left foot sliding along the ground.

Eager to finally solve this issue, I dusted off an old pair of ankle weights and learned from a mistake I had made many months prior.

How Ankle Weights Can Help Stroke Survivors in Physical Therapy

Foot drop, which can result in one foot dragging or scuffing across the ground, is common in stroke survivors.

Home exercise programs such as Knees Over Toes helped me improve my flexibility and ability to walk without a limp after the stroke. However, my stroke-affected left leg still wasn’t nearly as strong as my right leg.

Long before the funny incident on the honeymoon, I was interested in the potential benefits of wearing ankle weights to strengthen my stroke-affected leg. At the time, I found some interesting research on how this simple accessory could help stroke survivors.

One study reported that walking on a treadmill with ankle weights on the stroke-affected side helped stroke survivors improve ankle stability and balance.

Additionally, wearing 1-to-3-pound ankle weights has been shown to help anyone improve their walking ability and speed.

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After reading the research on how ankle weights could benefit stroke survivors, I made it a point to wear a 1- or 2-pound ankle weight on my stroke-affected leg all day.

Initial Challenges

However, wearing ankle weights at home all day ended up being more harmful than helpful.

Instead of practicing a normal walking pattern, I found myself swinging my leg out to the side as I rushed around the house trying to complete whatever task was on my mind.

I also experimented with ankle weights during some of my many backward walking sessions, but that too felt like it changed the exercise and made it dysfunctional.

It wasn’t until I returned home from the honeymoon trip that I realized I had been overthinking how to incorporate ankle weights in my recovery after stroke.

Making Progress

I had already been in the habit of taking a walk while the sun was setting so I started wearing two 1-pound ankle weights for that walk and I started to notice a difference in my leg strength and walking ability.

After just a few weeks of wearing the ankle weights for that 20- to 30-minute walk, I rarely noticed my left foot dragging like I had previously.

More than five months later, the instances where my foot drags along the ground have all but disappeared. Adding light resistance in the form of ankle weights on my stroke-affected leg significantly improved my walking ability post-stroke.

Adding light resistance in the form of ankle weights on my stroke-affected leg significantly improved my walking ability post-stroke.

How To Use Ankle Weights in Physical Therapy After Stroke

Ankle weights can be a beneficial addition to any physical therapy routine, but they may not be appropriate in every situation, such as high-intensity training.

Make Time For Specific Practice

I found it helpful to have a dedicated practice time for walking with ankle weights. Focusing on walking appropriately with the ankle weight was much more effective than using a weight on my stroke-affected leg 24/7.

Don’t Wear Ankle Weights All Day

Regarding how much weight to use, the ankle weights used in the stroke survivor study cited earlier were equivalent to 3 to 5% of the individual’s body weight. I personally found 2 pounds enough to notice a difference.

In that study, each walking session was 30 minutes long and completed five times a week.

As a complement to a physical therapy routine, walking with light ankle weights can be simple approach to help stoke survivors increase their leg strength and walking ability post-stroke.