Are you worried that you may be at risk of falling due to feelings of imbalance, dizziness, or unsteadiness? Did you know that there are things you can do to minimize the risks of falling? At Comber Physical Therapy & Fusion Chiropractic, our team will address your concerns and help you regain your confidence!
Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in adults over 65. The good news is that you can reduce and even prevent most falls with proper guidance. Unfortunately, most people don’t think about working on their balance and gait until it is too late.
Fall risks are a significant concern for seniors, and even without an injury, a fall can lead to a diminished ability to maintain an active and independent life. Fall often reduces a person’s confidence with activities in the home and community.
At Comber Physical Therapy & Fusion Chiropractic in Williamsburg, our therapists will address any old or new injury contributing to your risk of falling. In addition, we offer fall prevention programs to help you maintain your abilities, so you avoid additional falls or injuries in the future.
Request an appointment today to hear about how we can help you reduce your fall risk so you can get stronger and more confident to do the things you enjoy!
How to tell if you are at risk of falling
Some people have a higher risk of falling than others, and a combination of factors causes most falls. There usually are several reasons for a fall, and the more risk factors a person has, the greater their chances of falling.
The most common fall risk include:
- Advanced age (being 80 years old or older is the most significant risk)
- Dizziness or vertigo (“spinning” sensations, even when remaining still)
- Vision problems (cataracts, macular degeneration, wearing bifocals)
- Impaired balance and gait control (whether age-related or due to illness)
- Muscle weakness (especially the legs) and reduced physical fitness due to a sedentary lifestyle
- Neurological disorders or cognitive impairments (i.e., Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s)
- Cardiovascular disease (i.e., heart attack, stroke, PAD) and low blood pressure
- Depression
- Acute and chronic illnesses
- Previous history of falls
- Taking more than four medications at the same time or psychoactive drugs (such as sedatives or antidepressants)
- Using a cane or other walking device
- Home hazards (throw rugs, pets underfoot)
At Comber Physical Therapy & Fusion Chiropractic in Williamsburg, our team of specialists will conduct a thorough medical history to identify any risk factors that can contribute to your risk of falling and design a program to address them in the safety of our clinic.
We will educate you on what you can do at home to stay safe and provide programs to build your strength, resolve the cause of any dizziness and improve your gait so you can decrease your risk of falling and improve your overall function at the same time!
What to expect at your physical therapy sessions
The good news is that you can prevent most falls. The key is to get guidance from our specialist, who will perform a thorough physical evaluation, including identifying any home hazards/environmental factors that may contribute to your fall risk, to figure out the best treatment plan to help you.
We will use this information to develop a comprehensive program that includes targeted manual techniques, mobility work, strengthening, and appropriate balance and gait techniques for the individual.
Some common aspects of treatment include:
Pain management: Your physical therapist will work with you on relieving pain first before continuing any other forms of physical activity.
Mobility work: Stretching helps improve your range of motion, muscle flexibility, and overall mobility so that you can respond more quickly with fewer restrictions limiting your movements. This may include gait training to ensure you walk correctly and address limitations that may increase your fall risk.
Balance training: Balance is a large part of fall prevention, as lack of stability is one of the main reasons falls occur. Your physical therapist will design a balance training plan for you as part of your treatment. Our treatment plans will work on improving your vision, reactions, coordination, and vestibular system to ensure you can maintain your balance.
Strength training: Your physical therapist will design a strength training plan for you, focusing on specific muscle groups needing improvement.
Our team at Comber Physical Therapy & Fusion Chiropractic will likely incorporate task-specific treatments for a safe progression back to doing what you love!
Request an appointment today!
Our team at Comber Physical Therapy & Fusion Chiropractic will help guide you through the steps you need to prevent falls and regain your confidence to reclaim your life.
Call us to schedule a consultation and get started today!
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html
https://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6234
https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-019-1359-9
https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-020-01041-3
Tags: natural treatment, fall prevention, Falls, Dizzy, Vertigo, physical therapy, physical therapist, health and wellness, Comber Physical Therapy and Fusion Chiropractic
