A stroke can change someone's life in an instant.
A person who once walked independently, got dressed, prepared meals and enjoyed time with family may suddenly struggle to stand, walk or move without help. Weakness on one side of the body can make even familiar activities difficult.
For families, the changes can be overwhelming. They want to know whether their loved one will walk again, regain independence and return to the activities that once filled their days.
Stroke recovery is different for everyone. The amount of movement someone regains, how long recovery takes and the abilities they ultimately reach vary widely. But one thing remains important: building and maintaining leg strength to support everyday movement and function.
For many stroke survivors, that work continues long after traditional physical therapy ends.
How Does a Stroke Affect Movement and Independence?
A stroke can leave one side of the body significantly weaker than the other. The affected leg may be harder to move, making it difficult to stand, walk, maintain balance or get in and out of bed.
When movement becomes harder, people often do less. They may spend more time sitting, rely more on a walker or wheelchair, or need help with activities they once managed independently.
Less movement can lead to further weakness, making everyday activities even harder. Over time, a person may need more assistance with daily tasks, which can affect whether they can continue living at home or need a higher level of care.
Maintaining and building leg strength is an important part of working toward better movement and greater independence.
Why Is Leg Strength So Important After a Stroke?
Leg strength supports the movements people rely on every day, including standing up from a chair, walking, maintaining balance and moving around the home.
After a stroke, weakness in one or both legs can make these activities more difficult. Even when someone can walk a short distance, they may still struggle with standing, transferring or moving safely without help.
Getting out of a chair, standing long enough to prepare a meal or moving safely to the bathroom all require leg strength. When one leg is weaker after a stroke, these everyday activities can take more effort and may require help from someone else.
Rebuilding strength takes time. Someone may be working hard in therapy without seeing major changes in what they can do at home.
Building leg strength helps address the physical limitations that can make everyday activities harder. It gives stroke survivors an opportunity to keep working toward meaningful improvements in movement and function, even when progress takes time.
Can Strength Continue to Improve Years After a Stroke?
Yes. Improvement can continue years after a stroke. Reaching the end of the first year does not automatically mean a person has reached the limit of what they can achieve.
With consistent, appropriately challenging exercise, stroke survivors can continue building strength and working toward improvements in everyday function.
Research has shown that stroke survivors can build leg strength through targeted resistance training, even years after a stroke. One study involving people who were 6 months to 6 years post-stroke reported improvements in lower-extremity strength after a 12-week training program.
Progress may be slow, but small changes can make a meaningful difference. Standing a little more easily, moving with greater confidence or needing less assistance can matter greatly to someone working toward more independence.
Not everyone will regain the same abilities or reach the same level of independence. Some people may regain abilities they thought they had lost, while others may make smaller changes that still matter to their daily lives.
A person's current level of function does not necessarily represent the full extent of what they may be able to achieve. Continued strength training offers an opportunity to keep working toward personal goals, including after insurance-covered physical therapy ends.
Why Isn't Walking Enough to Build Leg Strength?
Walking is important after a stroke, but walking alone doesn't provide the resistance needed to build the leg strength that supports everyday movement.
Stronger legs require muscles to work against appropriate resistance. This is especially important after a stroke, when one leg may be significantly weaker than the other.
Walking doesn't keep you walking if the strength needed to support that movement isn't being maintained.
Learn more in our article, Walking Doesn't Keep You Walking.
Why Can Physical Therapy End Before Someone Reaches Their Full Ability?
Physical therapy is an important part of stroke rehabilitation. It helps people work on movement, strength, balance and function following a stroke.
But leaving physical therapy does not necessarily mean someone has regained the strength and abilities they need to live independently.
Medicare-covered physical therapy follows coverage requirements based on skilled need and progress. When a covered plan of care ends, a person may still have significant weakness, difficulty walking or goals they want to continue working toward.
Families may see this firsthand. A parent may be able to walk a short distance but still need help getting up from a chair. Someone else may be able to stand with assistance but still struggle to move safely around the home.
The improvement may be meaningful, but the work may not be finished.
The end of covered physical therapy does not necessarily mean the end of the opportunity to build strength. For families, the question becomes how their loved one can continue working toward the abilities that matter most.
Why Does Long-Term Strength Training Matter After a Stroke?
Regaining strength takes time. It also takes consistent work.
For stroke survivors, the goal is not simply to complete a set of exercises. It is to strengthen the muscles that support the movements needed in everyday life.
That work may focus on making it easier to stand from a chair, transfer between surfaces, support walking or manage more activity without becoming exhausted.
Progress may look different for every person. It could mean using more resistance during an exercise, needing less assistance to complete a movement, standing more easily or walking with greater confidence.
For someone with more significant limitations, progress may be smaller but still meaningful.
After a stroke, exercises may need to be adjusted as strength, balance and movement change. A physical therapist can help determine the right amount of resistance and challenge, then adjust the program as the person progresses. This can be especially important when weakness on one side makes it difficult to exercise safely or effectively alone.
Strength takes time to build, and it needs to be challenged consistently. Ongoing strength training can help stroke survivors maintain the abilities they have regained and work toward additional improvements in function.
Stronger legs can make everyday activities easier and reduce the amount of help someone needs. For some stroke survivors, improving strength and function can mean greater independence at home and more choices about their living arrangements.
How Does Tandem Strength & Balance® Help Stroke Survivors?
When Medicare-covered physical therapy ends, families may still be looking for ways to help their loved one build strength and work toward greater independence.
Tandem Strength & Balance® was created to provide continued, one-on-one strength training for people who need more support beyond traditional Medicare-covered physical therapy.
We work with stroke survivors at different stages of recovery, including people who continue to experience weakness, difficulty walking or limitations in everyday activities long after their stroke.
Our physical therapists provide one-on-one sessions in the client's home, with programs built around their current abilities, strength and functional goals. We bring the equipment needed for each session and tailor the exercises to the person.
The focus is on strengthening the muscles that support everyday movement and helping each person continue working toward what matters to them.
As strength changes, the program can change too. Exercises can be adjusted to provide the right level of challenge as a person progresses.
Tandem is private-pay, so families can continue working on strength and function beyond the limits of a Medicare-covered therapy plan. There is no predetermined recovery timeline that dictates when the work must end.
Keep Building Strength for Everyday Life
A stroke can change what someone is able to do, but their current abilities don't necessarily define what they can continue working toward.
Tandem Strength & Balance® helps stroke survivors keep building leg strength, balance and function long after traditional physical therapy ends.
The goal is to help each person work toward doing more of what matters to them and living as independently as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stroke Recovery and Leg Strength
Can someone continue to improve years after a stroke?
Yes. Stroke survivors can continue working on strength and function at different stages of recovery. The amount of improvement varies from person to person, but strength training can remain an important part of maintaining and building physical ability.
Why is leg strength so important after a stroke?
Leg strength supports standing, walking, transferring and moving around the home. When leg strength is limited, everyday activities can become harder and a person may need more assistance.
What happens when Medicare-covered physical therapy ends?
The end of covered therapy does not necessarily mean a person has reached their full potential. Ongoing strength training can provide an opportunity to continue working on strength, balance and functional goals.
Can Tandem help someone who had a stroke years ago?
Yes. Tandem works with stroke survivors at different stages of recovery. Programs are built around the person's current abilities and goals, not simply how long ago the stroke occurred.