Why Does My Leg Flop Out When I Walk After a Stroke?

You know the feeling.
You’re walking. Or trying to walk.

And then your leg just… flops out to the side.
You try to correct it, but it keeps happening.
Frustrating, right?

Let’s break this down.
You’re not alone, and you’re not doing anything wrong.
There’s a reason this happens—and a path forward.

What Happens After a Stroke? (Abnormal Movement Patterns)

A stroke disrupts this perfect timing for a variety of reasons.
The body compensates, often through poorly timed muscle firing.

And that’s when the “annoying rotation” happens (ie: the knee flops out to the side)

The three main culprits:

Hip Stiffness

The outer thigh and glute muscles become overactive and/or stiff (resisting lengthening).
This creates unpredictable pulling forces that cause the leg to drift outward at the wrong time.

Spastic Ankle

The ankle may involuntarily point (plantarflex) during the standing phase, effectively making the leg “longer.”
This forces a compensatory external rotation during the swing phase to help clear the foot.

Or, the ankle may point and invert during the standing phase, which rotates the knee outward and throws off the leg’s alignment.

Combination of Spasticity, Abnormal Synergies, and Weakness

Stroke causes abnormal muscle patterns and compensation for weak hip flexors.
The result: poor coordination, inefficient stepping, and a wide, circumducting “flop” gait pattern.

This combination creates what I call the a “leg that flops out”.
The leg rotates outward, or circumducts with every step.

It feels unstable.
It looks awkward.
And it drains your energy.

How This Impacts Your Walking

A “rotated” leg does more than just look or feel strange:

• It increases your risk of tripping or falling.
• It forces your upper body to overcompensate (causing back or hip pain).
• It limits how far or how long you can walk without fatigue.

In short: it holds you back from feeling confident and safe walking on your own.

What You Can Do To Fix It

Here’s the good news: this can improve.
But it requires working on the right areas—consistently.

Stretch the Tight Hip & Pelvic Muscles

You have to “untie the knot” first.

The CoreStretch by ProStretch is my go-to tool for this.

It allows you to:

• Stretch deep into the hips, lower back, and sides (where spasticity hides)
• Loosen the rotational stiffness causing that “blocky” movement
• Regain the ability to dissociate your pelvis and leg

It’s one of the few stretches stroke survivors can do safely to unlock the hips and protect the lower back.

Try It for Yourself

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