Walking up steps

Maybe it depends on the breadth of the steps. On' I Escaped to The Country' yesterday (I think) they opened a door to very steep spiral stairs and I dread to think how you'd get up them - and getting down safely would be even worse.
I dread narrow steps on ferries and boats as well.

My neighbour told me that she always goes downstairs backwards. I've tried it and it is a lot easier, particularly first thing in the morning when the old knee joints are stiff. I do make sure I have a firm grip on the handrail and take it slow.

Any way I feel comfortable with. Its me that's struggling waiting for a hip replacement not someone else.

At worst, it's all fours for me! Sometimes it's both knees and sometimes they take it in turns to torment me. Consultant thinks TKR may be needed but is prescribing a new medication to deal with the pain. Meanwhile, I only have one loo and it's upstairs.

If you have a weakness, ie awaiting a hip replacement, you should always go up on your strongest one first and com3 down on the weakest one.
And if you are getting a little frail best you always go one stair at a time putting the whole foot on the step.

Anyone any tips for coming down stairs, I have large feet, 7.5 and find my foot catches on the back of the stair. I am always scared of tripping.

Going up ain't so bad unless the banisters are glass as in some modern office blocks; but going down is an expedition. I'm OK at home but at railways stations / tube stations it's horrendous and I age 20 years in a few seconds!! I'm scared of slipping - been there done that and I don't want to do it again!

I am very wary of walking up steps/stairs, it depends on the depth of the riser & tread. My DD's stairs are steep & narrow, I have to haul myself up by the banister.

Going down steps is a nightmare, I have to hang on as I often feel like I've missed a step

Definitely more cautious now I'm all on one level (apart from steps to doors outside but I have lovely handrails). Mostly I tackle steps/stairs by placing feet "sideways"

Gosh I feel old, I'm only 62!!! Mobility problems, at least I'm alive & relatively pain free.

I still run up two at a time ,not so long ago I was half way up and realised I'd forgotten something so I twisted on my heel to come back down...and I did.. head first and broke my foot.Hasn't stopped me running up though .

How about going upstairs on all fours? Much more comfortable especially on our stairs which are quite steep. I actually go upon all threes as I have one arthritic shoulder.

I do the ball of the foot. Just tried the whole foot ... it puts more stress on my body!

Don't know if anyone will read this far, but because of an arthrodesis in one ankle and deterioration of the other, getting up and down steps is impossible without a handrail. Anyone been abroad recently? A short holiday in an Italian farmhouse built on a steep slope almost defeated me. No handrails inside or out and none in the precipitate streets of the nearest town. Glad I took two trek poles. I was also cross on a visit to Chartwell not to see Churchill's painting studio situated at the foot of a long set of steps with no handrails. However much Churchill had imbibed, he could evidently get upstairs. The National Trust should know better nowadays.

I felt just the same at Chartwell, so had to give the studio a miss. I always use a handrail and take stairs slowly and carefully, up or down. Ball of foot going up, mostly whole foot going down as it feels safer.

I study brochures, websites, photos a lot and read reviews before booking holidays to make sure there are no extra steep stairs, or open tread or spiral, nor a steep hill to get there.

Depends on the steps or stairs. I am early 70s and am pleased my own house has shallow wide treads. Have even been known to run at them going up. Bit nervous in my daughter's house carrying my GC downstairs where they are steep and with no banister. Always take them slowly and with great care. Going up is easier!

I go up on the ball of the foot and down ball/heel. Similar to Merlot I developed 'ground floor legs' while living in a flat for 6 months last year. My old house had 20 deep wide treads. My new cottage has 12 and it was great to get back to relative normality. I'm staying with a DD for 2 months and am getting really fit running up and down stairs all day. Problems with my Achilles tendon on one leg and wonky knee on the other have improved vastly

I also go up on the ball of my foot - not sure about coming down but if it's very early in the morning I do it very cautiously as our stairs creak dreadfully! Up to last year we had two bannister rails and I used both of them to haul myself up in latter years - they didn't match so we removed them and replaced one with a lovely wooden one - looks great but I do miss the other one. By the end of the day I often go up on all fours which my son thought was hilarious when he saw me the other day - his 2 year old does the same thing