The origin of 10,000 steps is likely to be a similar story to the 5-a-day fruit and veg message, it’s a marketing tool. In this instance is probably brought about by the rise in the use of smartwatches and phones to measure our daily activity.
Walking is effectively repeatedly standing on one leg and trying not to fall over! So, if our clients struggle to single-leg stand what are we doing to them by asking them to repeat the process 5000 times per leg every day?
Research will be presented into the benefits of 10,000 steps daily but will talk about assessing clients for single-leg stability, beyond the usual Trendelenburg test. And then consider some exercises we can ask clients to do during their daily life to help with glute/hip strength to improve their stability, and make walking easier – and less of a risk!