The Ins and Outs of a Good Fall Prevention Plan

Have you noticed that you aren’t quite as steady on your feet as you used to be? Do you find yourself avoiding your favorite activities or sticking close to home because you’re worried you might fall? You don’t have to live in fear: Carolina Prime Physical Therapy offers dedicated fall prevention services to help restore both balance and confidence!

If you’re an older adult, it’s understandable that you might be concerned about falling. Falls are a significant source of injury and hospitalization among seniors. Furthermore, the fear of falling can profoundly impact your quality of life, as many people will avoid physical activity out of a misguided attempt to prevent falling.

Fortunately, the team at Carolina Prime Physical Therapy has plenty of experience helping our older patients with fall prevention. We can help you identify and address your specific fall risks, improve your balance and stability, and find ways to get you moving with confidence again.

Don’t let fear of falling keep you from enjoying your golden years. Call us to schedule an appointment today!

Understanding Your Fall Risk

It’s important that every older adult understand their fall risk. Everyone’s risk is different; falls are complex, and multiple factors can contribute to a high risk of falling. The more risk factors you have, the more likely you are to suffer a fall.

Which of these factors apply to you?

What’s Involved in a Fall Prevention Plan?

Getting active is one of the best things you can do to reduce your risk of falling. This is why the fear of falling can be so insidious, as it prevents people from engaging in the physical activity that can protect them from falls.

For that reason, a good fall prevention plan is actually a plan to help you get more active. We’ll work with you to identify the areas holding you back from a physically active lifestyle–whether that’s pain, instability, or something else–and address them. 

Because we customize every fall prevention plan to suit the patient’s needs, no two plans are alike. However, we’ll generally pull from the following techniques:

• Pain Management: If persistent or chronic pain is holding you back, we can help address pain through manual therapy, gentle exercise, or pain-relieving modalities.
• Balance Training: The cornerstone of any fall prevention plan, balance training consists of specialized exercises that challenge your balance. We’ll increase the difficulty as you improve, ensuring you see results.
• Strength Training: Weak muscles, especially core muscles, are a significant source of instability. We’ll show you appropriate strength training exercises that will help improve your balance while standing and walking–and make it easier for you to recover from a momentary loss in balance.
• Gait Training: Your gait refers to your walking pattern, and you’re more likely to fall if it’s impaired. We’ll help correct gait issues so you can walk with confidence.
• Exercise Program: Once you’ve worked through our fall prevention plan, we’ll help you develop an exercise program, such as Tai Chi or a walking regime, to get you moving when you’re not in the clinic.

What To Expect During Your Sessions

Your initial appointment will consist of an in-depth physical evaluation that includes the following:

• A complete health history
• Examination of your particular fall risk factors
• Movement screens to evaluate gait, mobility, strength, and balance
• Discussion of your specific goals

This information helps us create the best fall prevention plan for your needs, which we’ll guide you through during subsequent appointments. We provide a space where you can exercise without fear of injury. We also always meet you at your current ability level–although we will help you improve by gradually increasing the difficulty of your exercises!

Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560761, https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical-therapy-guide-falls

What Does Balance Training Look Like?

Balance training consists of targeted exercises that challenge–and thus improve–your overall balance and stability. Our physical therapists arrange these exercises progressively, which allows you to start where you feel most comfortable. Over time, you’ll be able to perform more and more challenging balance exercises.

Below are some sample balance exercise progressions to give you an idea of what to expect. But to ensure you’re performing the right exercises for your ability level, schedule an appointment at Carolina Prime Physical Therapy! 

Balance Exercise Progressions

One-Legged Stands

• Beginner: Stand facing the fall, your arms outstretched, fingers lightly touching the wall. Lift one leg and keep a slight bend in the standing leg. Hold for 5-10 seconds.
• Intermediate: Perform the same motion as above–but don’t touch the wall for support.
• Advanced: Perform the same motion as the intermediate progression–but keep your eyes closed. It’s harder than it sounds!

Tandem Stance

• Beginner:  Stand with your feet heel-to-toe, as if standing on a tightrope.
• Intermediate: Stand in the same stance as above, but do it on a pillow (which adds instability). You can also try closing your eyes.
• Advanced: Walk heel-to-toe without using any support. Try to go 10-20 feet before taking a rest.

Sources: https://www.physio-pedia.com/Functional_Sequence_of_Balance_Training_Exercises