The most familiar unfamiliar action---from sitting to standing

In daily life, we have to switch between sitting and standing many times in different occasions every day. This seems simple, but it is very challenging for hemiplegic patients. The transition between sitting and standing is not only an action, but also a part of other daily life activities, such as going to the toilet, dressing, riding, etc. Activities all involve sitting and standing transitions. For hemiplegic patients to achieve self-care, it is very important to complete the sit-stand transfer independently and safely. Let me introduce it to you below!

First, let's take a look at what happens when hemiplegic patients complete the process from sitting to standing:

Wrong exercise pattern

Higher energy consumption

Abnormal physiological alignment

How should we correctly complete the transition from sitting to standing?

01 Starting Position

The standing movement starts from a chair or bedside sitting position. Most people will tilt their pelvis backward when sitting. The support surface is the buttocks, the back of the thighs, and the soles of the feet. When preparing to stand up, the pelvis is straightened in the direction of gravity (forward tilt). The coordinated activity of the muscles allows the trunk to stretch in the vertical direction. It is ready to stand up.

02 Buckling phase

The flexion phase is from the beginning of standing up to the buttocks lifting off the chair. In this phase, the trunk and pelvis tilt forward, the shoulder girdle slightly extends forward, and the center of gravity moves forward.

03 Weight transfer stage

The stage from when the buttocks leave the bed to when the ankle dorsiflexion reaches the maximum. At this stage, the support surface is completely transferred from the buttocks, the back of the thighs, and the soles of the feet, that is, the transition from sitting position to standing position. This stage emphasizes postural stability the most. In order to stand up, the ankle and foot stability is required, and the proper force line is maintained so that the entire sole of the foot, especially the heel, contacts the ground.

04 Stretching Phase

The extension phase starts from the maximum dorsiflexion of the ankle joint and ends with the final extension of the hip joint. During this phase, the center of gravity of the body is maintained within the support plane formed by the two feet, and the hip and knee joints need to extend against gravity. As the body stands upright, the pelvic tilt angle decreases. Finally, the pelvis is in the middle position of the anteroposterior tilt.

05 Stabilization Phase

The stage where the joints stop stretching and movement stops to maintain a stable posture. In this stage, as in the stretching stage, the hip and knee joints need to be stretched against gravity. In addition, in order to maintain the stability of the bipedal upright position, the ankle joint movement and the postural stability centered on the ankle joint are required.

Independently completing the process from sitting to standing is the most basic goal in rehabilitation training. It is also the basis for ensuring independent walking and subsequent recovery of upper limb and hand functions. It is an important prerequisite for achieving independent walking and self-care in daily life. The quality of completion not only affects many activities, but is also related to walking efficiency, fall risk, etc.