The Chair Exercise Her Physical Therapist Gave Her, And Why She Still Does It

Sitting down and standing up, ten times, holding nothing. It looked too easy to matter.

When Joan left the physical therapist's office, she was slightly insulted. The exercise she had been given was standing up from a chair and sitting back down, ten times, twice a day.

She was sixty-four and had just recovered from a fall on the stairs. She had expected something that felt like treatment.

The therapist's explanation was the part that stayed with her: the motion she had just failed to do smoothly in the office was the same motion she used dozens of times a day without thinking about it.

How she does it now

• The dining chair, not the armchair, because the armchair helps too much.
• Arms crossed over her chest so her hands cannot push off.
• Ten in the morning before coffee, ten in the evening before the news.
• Slowly on the way down, which is the part she used to skip.
• Counting out loud, because otherwise she loses track at six.

Eighteen months later

Joan still does it. She says the stairs stopped being a thing she thought about, which is the only measure she cares about.

She also got interested in why the simplest movements are the ones that go first, and the book below is what she read.

The content on this page is for general information and personal reading only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with a qualified professional. Names have been changed for privacy.