Stride length walking with markers is a gait exercise for lengthening your steps. You set flat markers on the floor, each a long step apart, then take a long step onto a marker with one foot and bring the other foot up to join it before the next step. Because the feet come together at every marker, you get a moment to settle before you reach again. Physios give it to people whose steps have become short, such as after a hip or knee operation, a leg injury or a long illness.

How to do the stride length walking with markers

Lay flat markers in a line beside a kitchen counter or a wall with a rail, each one a long step from the last but not so far that you have to lunge. At home, strips of tape are easy to use.
Stand tall just behind the first marker with your feet about shoulder width apart, close enough to the counter to reach it at any moment.
Take a long step forward and set your whole foot down securely on the first marker.
Bring your other foot forward to join it, so both feet stand on the marker about shoulder width apart. Pause until you feel steady.
Step long onto the next marker and join the feet again. At the end of the line, take a few extra steps to turn round in a half circle, rather than turning on the spot, and walk back at your normal pace.
On the next walk, lead with the other leg, unless your physio has asked you to lead with one side.

What you should feel

More work than ordinary walking in the hips and thighs, and in the calves as you push off. The front of the trailing hip may feel a light stretch as you reach forward. Your balance should feel challenged but never out of control.

Common mistakes

Placing markers too far apart, so each step turns into a lunge or you wobble on landing.
Watching your feet on every step. Look at the next marker, then lift your eyes ahead.
Landing on the toes only, so the foot is not set down securely.
Moving on before both feet have come together and you feel steady.

How often

A common start is 2 to 4 lengths of the marker path per session, once or twice a day. The gap between markers grows only when every step feels secure. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or sick, or the room seems to spin. Hold your support, sit down and get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
You trip on a marker, stumble or feel you might fall. Hold the counter and rest, then set the markers closer together before you try again.
Sharp or building pain in the hip, knee, ankle or lower back as you stretch out your step.
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.

From the clinic

The man in the video walks in open space, but at home the path should run beside a kitchen counter, a rail or a solid wall, close enough to reach at any moment. Use markers that lie flat and stay put, such as tape, and clear loose rugs and cables out of the path. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet. If you use a cane or walker, keep using it here unless your physio has said otherwise. If you have fallen in the past year, feel unsteady or take a medicine that makes you drowsy or dizzy, practice only with another adult close by and ask your doctor or physio about a falls check.

The voice guide and the app title describe a step-to pattern: one long step, then the other foot joins it on the marker. That is different from walking with longer steps, where each foot lands on its own marker and the feet pass each other. Your physio will tell you when you are ready to move on to that version.

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. This page explains the general technique, not a stroke rehab program.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try stride length walking with markers. Some operations limit this kind of work for the first months, so the timing depends on your surgery. After a knee fracture or knee surgery, including a knee replacement, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. After an ankle fracture or ankle surgery, follow your surgeon's or physio's weight-bearing plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you.

The balance and falls prevention program explains how walking drills like this fit alongside balance and strength work.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

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.

Stride length walking with markers