Neurologic/Geriatric>>Gait, Balance & Falls - 1/5/2007

v    Falls is a leading cause of injury-related visits to the ER in persons over the age of 65 years old.

 

v    Common risk factors for falls include:  medications, reduced vision, environmental hazards and deconditioned state/generalized weakness.

 

v    Balance relies on three types of sensory information: Vision, Proprioception (your body’s internal sense of spatial orientation) and your Vestibular System (your inner ears).

 

v    Poor posture can impair your sense of balance.

 

v    Strength, flexibility, and endurance are crucial to maintaining balance and preventing falls.  If balance reactions are delayed due to weakness, a person can fall following loss of balance regardless if the three balance factors above are intact.

 

v    Research indicates that the risk of falling in older adults can be reduced dramatically when specific exercises, activities and interventions are prescribed by physical therapists.

 

v    A physical therapist can review your medical history and your general physical condition (strength, flexibility, posture, and balance tests) to determine your risk for falls.

 

v    In addition to assessing your physical condition, a physical therapist will take a detailed fall history to piece together the reasons (i.e. what physical impairments that maybe contributing to falls) and the circumstances (Uneven terrain, soft carpets that may disrupt your proprioception,etc.)  that put you at greatest risk for falls.  

 

v     BALANCE IS A SKILL YOU CAN KEEP-OR RECAPTURE!  MUCH DETERIORATION IN BALANCE ASSOCIATED WITH AGE IS IMPLY DUE TO NOT USING THIS SKILL.

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