By Wayne Foley MPT, and Dominique Bagby PT, DPT
As we age, our balance will decline. Without maintaining a functional level of strength, flexibility, and balance, you are prone to an increased risk of falling. Every year more than one in three people aged 65 years or older fall, and the risk increases with age. A simple fall can cause a severe hip, pelvis, spine, arm, hand, or ankle fracture, leading to hospital stays, disability, and loss of independence.
Many issues can cause balance deficits. Some include feeling lightheaded due to medications, blood pressure issues, and other problems within the inner ear. The presence of dizziness constitutes a significant predictor of falls in the elderly, which are the leading cause of injury, risk of falling, and accidental death after the age of 65 years.
The most common cause of dizziness is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.
How is BPPV Diagnosed?
In this video, Wayne Foley, MPT, and Dr. Dominique Bagby, PT, DPT from our Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy (Gold Canyon location) show us how they test and treat Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV).
Balance Physical Therapy: A Hands-On Customized Approach to Addressing Balance
Physical therapists can offer numerous options for treating balance problems based on each person’s needs. There are several significant components your body uses that assist with your balance.
Vision
Your vision helps your brain to organize where it is in space. Commonly where there are deficits in other areas that affect balance, individuals can become reliant on vision. It is not unusual to have a patient who can stand perfectly still on a single leg with their eyes open and quickly become a fall risk after closing their eyes.
Proprioception and the Risk of Falling
(perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body)
Close your eyes and move your arm over your head. Knowing where your arm is without seeing it is proprioception. Issues with proprioception can range from decreased sensation and a common factor with balance disturbances to a weakness that limits the ability to stabilize.
Vestibular system
Your vestibular system is responsible for letting your body know when you are accelerating. Patients may present issues such as turning over in bed, causing uncontrolled spinning, and a sense of vertigo. This can come from several causes, including problems with the sensory organ and the nerves that conduct these signals.
Balance is vital for health, wellness, and happiness. You can do things today to prevent a decline in your ability to balance.
Tips to Help Avoid Problems of Balance and the Risk of Falling:
- Keep moving and avoid a sedentary lifestyle. Begin a regular fitness regimen and make efforts to take the stairs, walk more, or do other daily activities that keep you active.
- Have yearly check-ups for vision and check for medication interactions.
- Manage any chronic diseases, such as diabetes, which have long-term side effects on balance.
- Report any falls to your primary care physician or physical therapist immediately.
Physical Therapy to Reduce the Risk of Falling
Balance is one of the fundamentals of a healthy, active body. Having a solid sense of balance and awareness of the elements around you can help you react swiftly and prevent injuries and accidents.
We will create a hands-on plan to address your specific deficits to improve your balance and stability. A Foothills Physical Therapist will run several tests to determine how unstable you are with movement and what are the limiting factors. Whether your limitations prevent you from performing a higher-level activity we will always have your Full Recovery Focus guiding your treatment plan.
Foothills provides an affordable, individualized, and professionally supervised program designed to build and maintain a functional level of strength, flexibility, and balance. Our highly trained staff is here to properly evaluate and quickly identify your balance concerns giving you the confidence to get back to doing the things you love.
Visit the location nearest you to get your balance back!
