Most people do not consider maintaining their balance until it is too late and they suffer a serious fall. The good news is that most falls are easily avoidable by regularly exercising your balance system.
If you have recently suffered a balance-related injury, it is critical that you seek the assistance of a physical therapist as soon as possible to avoid further injuries. It is also important to note that you should see a physical therapist if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Arm or leg weakness.
- Abnormal eye movements.
- Difficulty standing up from a seated position or standing for prolonged periods of time.
- Dizziness or vertigo (“spinning” sensations, even when remaining still).
- Inability to focus or remain alert.
- Double vision or tunnel vision.
Do you frequently experience an imbalance, dizziness, or unsteadiness that makes you feel like you could collapse at any moment? Have you ever fallen in the past? Are you concerned that you might sustain a fall-related injury?
If so, please contact Total Care Physical Therapy right away. Our Hillsborough office is ready to assist you in determining the source of your problem and treating it appropriately.
Do I have a high fall risk?
Some people have a higher risk of falling than others. Certain risk factors include:
- Diabetes.
- Previous stroke or heart attack.
- Arthritis or alternative joint pain.
- Problems with vision.
- Problems with walking or staying balanced.
- Fatigue.
- Overall poor health.
- Advanced age.
- Being female.
- Living a sedentary life.
- Previous history of falls.
- Vertigo or dizziness.
- Parkinson’s disease.
- Alzheimer’s disease.
- Heart disease.
Your physical therapist will review your medical history to determine how many risk factors you have for falling.
They will educate you on what these factors mean and how you can reduce your risk. Following that, they will conduct a thorough physical examination to determine the best treatment plan for you.
How will physical therapy help me reduce my risk of falling?
A recent Cochrane systematic review of over 100 randomized controlled trials supports exercise interventions as an effective treatment method for patients at high risk of falling. The average age of the patients in this review was 76, with 77% of them being female.
The results showed that those who participated in exercise interventions fell 23% less than those who did not. Fall risk was reduced by 21-24% depending on whether treatments were given individually or in groups.
The risk of fall-related fractures was decreased by 27% and the number of falls that required medical attention was decreased by 39%. Concluding statements from the authors demonstrated how overall, “Exercise reduces both the rate of falls…and the number of people experiencing falls.”
At our clinic, your initial physical evaluation may consist of several parts to better determine what your most problematic factors are. These may include vision tests, thinking tests, resting heart rate checks, active heart rate checks, and evaluations of your gait, balance, range of motion, and strength.
What can I expect from physical therapy?
Your physical therapist will tailor a treatment plan to your specific needs based on the results of this evaluation.
These plans are designed to reduce your risk of falling, but they will also help you improve your balance, strength, flexibility, endurance, and overall movement. Among the most common types of treatment are:
- Balance training. Balance is a large part of fall prevention, as lack of stability is one of the main reasons why falls occur. Your physical therapist will design a balance training plan for you as part of your treatment, and may ask you to perform certain balance-based activities, such as standing on one leg or holding your balance while performing a mentally-stimulating task (such as reciting the alphabet or reading a page from a book.)
- Strength training. Strength training is typically paired with your balance training. Your physical therapist will design a strength training plan for you, which will focus on specific muscle groups in need of improvement. The goal of this will be to improve your standing and walking balance, as well as your ability to recover from a loss of balance.
- Endurance training. Endurance training is all about working up to more advanced levels of the same form of treatment. Your physical therapist will provide you with an aerobic exercise program and will slowly add on time to those exercises as your endurance improves. For example, your endurance training may begin at 10-minute sessions and then may progress to 30-minute sessions.
- Pain management. If you are feeling pain anywhere, it will be one of the first things addressed in your treatment plan. Your physical therapist will want to make sure that your treatment is as comfortable as possible, so you will work together on relieving pain first, before continuing into any other forms of physical activity that may bring you discomfort.
- Walking and moving programs. This part of your treatment plan is aimed at getting you back to your normal physical function when walking and/or moving. Your physical therapist may ask you to perform certain activities, such as walking in a circle or completing an obstacle course.
Begin using our Hillsborough fall prevention services right away!
Are you ready to get back on your feet by improving your balance and lowering your risk of injury from a fall?
Contact Total Care Physical Therapy right away to request an appointment and get started!
