
Fall Prevention
Physiotherapy Can Decrease Your Fall Risk
Do you ever experience an imbalance, dizziness, or unsteadiness that makes you feel as if at any given moment you might tip over? Have you suffered in the past because of a fall? Are you afraid that you might be in danger of experiencing a fall-related injury? If so, you aren’t alone.
Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal accidents in older adults. Each year, one-third of the population above 65 experiences a fall. In 2013, over 2.5 million people were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Most people don’t think about keeping their balance in shape until it is too late and they suffer a harsh fall. The good news is that most falls can easily be prevented, simply by the regular exercising of your balance system.
Contact Blue Oak Physiotherapy today if you fear you’re at a risk of falling, so we can help you find out the source of your problem and handle it accordingly.
Are you experiencing any of these symptoms?
If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, we strongly recommend you reach out to our expert physiotherapists at Blue Oak Physiotherapy today! Physiotherapy could greatly benefit you and help prevent the risk of falling.
Difficulty standing up from a seated position or standing for prolonged periods of time
Abnormal eye movements
Arm or leg weakness
Nausea or vomiting
Double vision or tunnel vision
Inability to focus or remain alert
Dizziness or vertigo (“spinning” sensations, even when remaining still)
Some people have a higher risk of falling than others.
Certain risk factors include:
Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Vertigo or dizziness
Previous history of falls
Living a sedentary life
Being female
Advanced age
Overall poor health
Fatigue
Problems with walking or balance
Problems with vision
Arthritis or alternative joint pain
Previous stroke or heart attack
Diabetes
Heart disease
Exercise Cuts Fall Risk in Older Adults
A recently published systematic review by Cochrane, comprising over 100 randomized controlled trials, supports exercise interventions as an effective treatment method for patients with an increased risk of falling. The average age of patients in this review was 76, and 77% of the patients were women.
Fall risk was also reduced at 21-24%, depending on if treatments were done in individual or group settings. The risk of fall-related fractures was decreased by 27% and the number of falls that required medical attention was decreased by 39%.
Results concluded that those who participated in exercise interventions had a 23% decrease in falls as compared to the control group. Concluding statements from the authors demonstrated how overall, “Exercise reduces both the rate of falls…and the number of people experiencing falls.”
Common forms of treatment for Fall Prevention
Strength Training
Strength training is typically paired with your balance training. Our physiotherapist 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.
Walking & Moving Programs
This part of your treatment plan is aimed at getting you back to your normal physical function when walking and/or moving. Our physiotherapist may ask you to perform certain activities, such as walking in a circle or completing an obstacle course.
Balance Training
Balance is a large part of fall prevention, as lack of stability is one of the main reasons why falls occur. Our physiotherapists 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.)
Endurance Training
Endurance training is all about working up to more advanced levels of the same form of treatment. Our physiotherapist 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 painful anywhere, it will be one of the first things addressed in your treatment plan. Our physiotherapist 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.
What to expect on your first visit
-
1. Physical Evaluation
At Blue Oak Physiotherapy, 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.
-
2. Medical evaluation
Next, our physiotherapist will ask questions about your medical history, current pain, or injury. Try to be as honest as you can; this information will help us determine how many risk factors you may have that contribute to your falling issue.
-
3. Treatment plan
Based on the results of this evaluation, our physiotherapist will design a treatment plan for your specific needs. We will educate you on what these factors mean, as well as steps you can take to decrease your risk.
These plans are aimed first and foremost at reducing your risk of falling, but they will also aid you in improving balance, strength, flexibility, endurance, and overall movement.
Are you ready to get back on your feet?
Let us help you improve your balance and decrease your risk of sustaining a fall-related injury!