Decreasing Fall Risk With Physical Therapy
Don’t Let Yourself Live in Fear of Falling!
Have you ever felt off-kilter, dizzy, or shaky, as if you may collapse at any moment? Have you ever stumbled and had to catch yourself on a nearby railing or piece of furniture? Are you concerned about the possibility of sustaining a fall-related injury? Have you had previous falls? If these questions have you nodding your head, you are not alone.
Most people don’t think about keeping their balance in good shape until it’s too late and they’ve suffered a serious fall. The good news is that most falls are easily preventable by regularly training your balance system.
Falls are the primary cause of both deadly and non-fatal accidents in the elderly. Every year, one-third of the population over the age of 65 suffers from a fall. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2.5 million people were treated in emergency rooms for non-fatal injuries in 2013. (CDC).
If you’re worried that you’re at a risk for falling, call College Park Physical Therapy today at (913) 681-0606 to learn more about vestibular assessment and fall prevention techniques.
We can help you find the source of your problem and deal with it accordingly.
How to know if you’re at a higher risk of falling
You might be thinking “This sounds all well and good, but how can I know if I am at a higher risk of falling now than I was 10 years ago?” There are many signs to look out for when you’re trying to discern whether or not you’re at a high risk for falling and injuring yourself.
It is important to note that you should also contact a physical therapist if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Dizziness or vertigo (“spinning” sensations, even when remaining still)
- Inability to focus or remain alert
- Double vision or tunnel vision
- Nausea or vomiting
- Arm or leg weakness
- Abnormal eye movements
- Difficulty standing up from a seated position or standing for prolonged periods
If you have any of these symptoms, vestibular physical therapy and/or a fall prevention program at our Olathe or Overland Park clinics could greatly benefit you and help prevent the risk of falling.
Do you have one of these conditions?
There are certain conditions people can have that put them at a higher risk for falls. If you are not sure if you have one of these conditions, have no fear. One of our Olathe or Overland Park physical therapists will assess your medical history to determine how many risk factors toward falling you may have.
They will educate you on what these factors mean, as well as steps you can take to decrease your risk.
After this, they will perform a thorough physical evaluation to figure out what the best treatment plan for you will be.
Some people have a higher risk of falling than others. Certain risk factors include:
- Being female
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Previous history of falls
- Diabetes
- Previous stroke or heart attack
- Arthritis or other joint pain
- Heart disease
- Advanced age
- Fatigue
- Living a sedentary life
- Overall poor health
- Vertigo or dizziness
- Problems with vision
- Problems with walking or staying balanced
What does the typical fall prevention treatment plan look like?
Your initial physical examination at College Park Physical Therapy may include numerous components to help determine your strengths and weaknesses.
Vision exams, resting and active heart rate checks, gait, balance, range of motion, and strength exams are all things you may want to anticipate during your first appointment.
Our physical therapist will build a treatment plan for your unique requirements based on the findings of this exam.
These plans are created to reduce your chance of falling, but they will also help you improve your balance, strength, flexibility, endurance, and general mobility.
Common physical therapy interventions for fall prevention treatment include:
- Balance training. Lack of stability is one of the primary causes of falls, hence why balance is an important aspect of fall prevention. As part of your therapy, our physical therapists will create a balance-training plan for you and may require you to complete specific balance-based exercises, such as standing on one leg or retaining your balance while executing an intellectually taxing job (such as reciting the alphabet or reading a page from a book.)
- Strength training. Strength training is frequently done in conjunction with balance training. Our physical therapist will design a strength training program for you that will focus on specific muscle areas that need to be strengthened. This will improve your standing and walking balance, as well as your capacity to recover from a loss of balance or fall.
- Pain management. If you have pain in any area, your treatment plan will address it as soon as possible. Our physical therapist will work hard to make your rehabilitation as straightforward as possible, so you will first focus on pain alleviation before going to any other types of physical training that may be challenging for you.
- Endurance training.Endurance training entails gradually progressing to more advanced phases of the same sort of treatment. Our physical therapist will design an aerobic training program for you, gradually increasing the length of your sessions as your stamina improves. For example, you may start with 10-minute sessions and work your way up to 30-minute sessions.
- 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. Our physical therapist may ask you to perform certain activities, such as walking in a circle or completing an obstacle course.
- Breathwork Training. You may find this surprising, did you know that the diaphragm muscle plays an essential role in static balance maintenance, and like other functions, this balance function is also inextricably linked to breathing. Our physical therapist will train and educate you on proper breath mechanics.
How does physical therapy help decrease fall risk?
A recently published systematic review by Cochrane, comprising more than 100 randomized controlled trials, supports exercise interventions as an effective method of treatment for patients at increased risk of falling. The average age of the patients in this review was 76, and 77% of the patients were female.
The risk of fall-related fractures decreased by 27 percent and the number of falls that required medical attention decreased by 39 percent. Fall risk was also reduced by 21-24 percent in this group, depending on whether individual or group treatments had been performed.
Results concluded that those who participated in exercise interventions had a 23 percent drop in fall risk compared to the control group.
Concluding statements by the authors showed that overall, “Exercise reduces both the rate of falls… and the number of people experiencing falls.”
You can feel more confident in your mobility and stability today, with help from physical therapy
Fight the fall and get back up on your feet. If you’re ready to improve your balance and lower your risk of a fall-related injury, contact College Park Physical Therapy to request an appointment and get started today!