As you get older, your body starts to slow down in many ways. Your sense of balance can be impacted by changes in your eyesight, inner ear, and sensations in your feet. This can lead to feeling more unsteady on your feet and to an increased risk of falling. At the same time, your bones and muscles begin to weaken and deteriorate, leaving you prone to serious injury if you do happen to fall. One of the best and safest ways to strengthen your body and improve your stability is with physical therapy.
Importance of Preventing Falls in Senior Citizens
Due to changes in the body, senior citizens are at greater risk of falling and more likely to be seriously injured if they do lose their balance. There is danger of head injuries, broken bones, and hip fractures. These injuries can alter a senior citizen’s mental state, physical abilities, and independence. Therefore, it is essential to prevent falls to the greatest extent possible in order to reduce the risk of devastating injuries. In order to do so, it is important to recognize the greatest risk factors in order to address them.
Changes in Balance
As senior citizens age, their vestibular systems do too. Changes in the inner ear and vision can lead to feeling unsteady and off center. Many elderly also experience changes in the sensation in their extremities, making it difficult at times to feel their feet. All of these can lead to difficulty maintaining balance, especially when going from sitting to standing.
Medication Side Effects
Typically, as people grow older, they take more medications to combat diseases and issues that arise as part of the aging process. Side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness make it challenging to maintain balance, making falls more likely. Taking many medications daily can increase the magnitude of these side effects and, therefore, the risk of a fall.
Dangers in the Home
Combined with the internal changes from aging, the houses of many senior citizens are not always the most ideal environments. Houses with staircases, step-downs to transition between rooms, or any uneven flooring can be incredibly dangerous for an individual experiencing balance issues. Low lighting in the house, especially at night when a senior citizen might get up to use the bathroom, can amplify balance issues and increase the risk of falling.
How Physical Therapy Improves Balance
In addition to monitoring medication side effects and adjusting the home environment, the best way to prevent falls and reduce the risk of serious injury is to improve your balance. Physical therapy is a very effective way to strengthen your body in order to reduce the risk of balance issues and subsequent injury.
Identify Risk Factors for Falling
One of the first things a physical therapist can do is assess your specific fall risks. For example, you may be struggling badly with night vision and become dizzy when you stand quickly. Narrowing down your specific concerns can help pinpoint where to begin when suggesting exercises and treatments.
Strengthen Muscles and Improve Flexibility and Reflexes
When your muscles are stronger and used to working regularly as a result of consistent exercise and strengthening, your reflexes will improve as well. This will allow you to react more quickly if you trip or stumble, saving yourself from a dangerous fall. Additionally, if you do end up going down, your risk of injury will be lower due to stronger bones and more flexible joints and ligaments.
Teaches You to Navigate Home and Community Safely
A component of physical therapy to address fall risk concerns is ensuring that you feel comfortable and confident in your daily activities. In addition to prescribing therapy to work your body, they can help you navigate physical obstacles and concerns that are present in your environments.
Physical Therapy Exercises to Aid Balance and Stability
While the specific exercises that a physical therapist will prescribe will be personalized to your needs, here are some general exercises that improve balance and stability.
Sit to Stand
Since many senior citizens experience the most balance issues when going from sitting to standing, this exercise is commonly recommended.
– Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor and your rear at the front of the seat
– Have a firm surface in front of you to grasp if needed, such as a tabletop
– Lean forward with your chest over your toes and use your glutes to stand up
– Carefully sit back down
Repeat the motion 10 times
Balance Exercise
This exercise will help to improve your stability while standing.
– Position yourself in front of a tabletop or secure surface to hold if needed
– Move feet shoulder width apart and stand with your eyes open for 30 seconds without swaying
– If successful, progress to standing with feet closer together and eventually standing on one leg
While you can’t turn back time and reverse the aging process, there are some measures you can take to keep yourself as safe as possible. Regular exercise and muscle strengthening can improve your balance and postural reflexes to prevent falls. These activities can also strengthen your bones to reduce the severity of your injuries in the event of a fall.
