In my clinic I routinely see patients after falls. Some of these falls are preventable, and I want everyone to know how important balance and fall prevention is. Also why balance should be addressed and not ignored. The consequences of falling can be dire and dramatically impact life in a negative way. Falls could take that independent person and land them in the hospital or nursing home. Do not let that happen to you or someone you love.
Not too long ago I discussed fall prevention, but I came across a recent systematic review (meaning the article examined numerous smaller studies and complied those results into basically an impact statement) that made me want to talk about it again. What this study was looking at was to see just how much balance training was necessary in a healthy population to make a measureable improvement. They found improvement in healthy older adults was dependent upon volume of training completed. Thus, those who did a higher level of training seemed to display greater improvement.
So, now take that same training and do it with older adults with multiple co-morbidities (other health complications/factors), and if you did not already predict what I was going to write…increase the training volume necessary even further. Why is greater training required you ask? Because as the body becomes deconditioned/detuned from a balance standpoint when accounting for other health issues. It then takes that much more work to make a meaningful change from a functional standpoint.
As I previously wrote falls, especially in the elderly, are no joking matter. Rapid functional decline and even death can follow as a result of falling. Thus, it is very important to not brush off being “off balance” yourself or that unsteadiness of a family member.
How long does it take to train balance? There truly is no set time frame to this. Many factors influence how easily or not one is able to train their balance. What one can expect from balance training is a great sense of unsteadiness and feeling of incoordination. It is not possible to make improvement in balance without fully stressing it to the point of losing ones balance. How then is this safe? Because under proper supervision of skilled physical therapists, we are able to closely monitor and protect the individual to prevent falls. At the same time we are working them to the level necessary to create a positive change in their balance.
Do not wait until you fall. If you have concerns, talk to your physician or see your physical therapist.
The #1 risk factor for falls is having a prior fall. Want more information on how to prevent falls or how to keep your loved one safer? Please contact me @ 717-440-6197 and we can discuss ways to prevent falls.