Scooting sideways moves you along a bed while you sit on its edge, perhaps to reach the pillow or get closer to a chair. You sit near the front, tuck your feet back, put your stronger hand on the bed a little out to the side, then lean forward and push with that arm and your legs to lift your bottom toward the hand. Small moves, repeated, take you as far as you need to go.

How to do the scooting sideways on the bed

Sit upright on a firm bed with your feet about hip width apart. Shuffle forward until you are near the front edge, then tuck your feet back so they sit under your knees. The man in the video rests his feet on a low bench because the treatment bed is high.
Place the hand of your stronger arm flat on the bed, a little way out to the side of your thigh, on the side you want to move toward. Rest your other hand in your lap.
Lean forward over your knees so the weight comes off your bottom, then push down through your hand and both feet to lift your bottom just clear of the bed.
Swing your hips a short way toward your hand and sit back down gently.
Move your feet and hand across to line up again, and repeat until you have moved as far as you need. Sit tall before you do anything else.

What you should feel

Effort in the stronger arm, the thighs and the buttocks as you lift, with your trunk working to steady you as you land. Each move only covers a short distance.

Common mistakes

Sitting too far back, so you cannot lean forward enough to lift.
Trying to travel a long way in one push.
Leaving your feet behind, so they end up pointing away from where you face.
Moving toward the end of the bed without checking how much room is left.

How often

Use it whenever you need to move along the bed or line up for a transfer. As practice, many programs do 3 to 5 moves in one direction and back again, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

The wrist or shoulder you push with hurts, or the shoulder of a weak arm starts to ache.
You feel yourself sliding off the bed or about to fall. Stop, sit back and let the person helping you steady you.
You feel dizzy, lightheaded or faint, or the room seems to spin, as you move in bed or sit on its edge. Stop, lie back down on the bed if you can, and keep still until it passes. If it does not pass within a minute or two, or it keeps happening, get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of keeping still, or your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, call emergency services.
Your calf or thigh is getting more swollen, or becomes warm, tender, red or darker than usual, or has a new throbbing or cramping pain. This can be a blood clot, especially after an operation, an injury, time in a cast, boot or brace, or a spell of being much less mobile than usual, and after an operation it can also be an infection. Stop and contact your medical team or get medical advice the same day. If you are also short of breath or have chest pain, call emergency services.
You suddenly become short of breath, get chest pain or pain in your upper back that may be worse when you breathe in, cough up blood, your heart beats very fast, or you faint. Call emergency services straight away, even if your leg looks normal, as this can be a blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism).

From the clinic

The steps here are the general method, not a stroke rehab program. Your physio or occupational therapist works out with you how to do it, and whether a helper is needed, if one side is weaker after a stroke or another condition. The video shows the version that moves toward the stronger arm. If both arms are strong, you can push with either hand. If the arm you push with has had surgery or a fracture, ask your surgical team or physio before you put weight through it.

A firm mattress matters, because a soft edge can sink as you land, and if the bed has wheels they should be locked. Check how much room is left before each move and stop well short of the end of the bed. Keep a helper beside you while you learn. Let a weak arm rest in your lap, supported, so it does not hang or get caught, and never let anyone lift you by it. When you can move along the bed with control, the sit to stand using armrests page covers the next step of getting up.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try scooting sideways on the bed. Leaning well forward to lift your bottom bends the hips past a right angle, especially on a low bed, and many surgeons ask you to avoid that for the first months after some operations.

You may feel a little unsteady as you land while you learn. A sudden loss of balance is different. Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache. If one side is already weak or numb from an earlier stroke, new or suddenly worse weakness or numbness is a sign, and every other sign in this list still counts.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Scooting sideways on the bed