The Importance of a Good Fall Prevention Plan

Did you know that falls are among the biggest risks to older adults? As we age, we go through several physical, cognitive, and sensory changes that can significantly impact our balance. An impaired balance means a higher chance of falling — and a higher chance of falling makes it more likely that you might suffer a severe injury.

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to improve your balance, no matter your age. At Hands On Physical Therapy, we offer dedicated fall prevention plans to address your fall-related risk factors. We’ll help you improve your strength, balance, and stability to stay healthy and active throughout your golden years!

To illustrate just how important a good fall prevention plan is, we want to share the stories of two patients, whom we’ll call Janice and Carol. Janice underwent a dedicated fall prevention plan; Carol didn’t.

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Carol’s Story: Shaken Confidence and One Bad Injury

Carol was 68 when she first visited us. Although she’d been fairly active when she was younger, she developed knee osteoarthritis in her early 60s, which led to her becoming much more sedentary. Her pain and restricted mobility caused her to fall and break her hip, and she worked with us on her rehabilitation.

We were understandably concerned about Carol’s fall risk, as she met several of the criteria:

• A history of falls (falling once doubles the likelihood that you’ll fall again)

• Weak legs and core

• Knee pain and impaired gait from osteoarthritis

Unfortunately, Carol’s insurance limited how frequently she could see a physical therapist, and rehabilitating her hip injury was her primary concern. While we did work with her to restore her strength and balance to where it was before her injury, she ran out of sessions before we could develop it further.

But perhaps the biggest issue for Carol was that her fall and subsequent injury really shook her confidence. While she felt safe performing exercises in our clinic, she worried about performing them at home, fretting that she would injure herself — or worse, fall again. As a result, she sank back into her sedentary lifestyle, which only worsened her arthritis symptoms and made it more likely that she would fall again.

If we’d been able to continue working with Carol, we could have improved her physical balance and helped build her confidence as well. How do we know this? Because it’s what happened with Janice.

Janice’s Story: Dedicated Fall Prevention to the Rescue

Janice’s background is strikingly similar to Carol’s. She was a little older when she developed osteoarthritis (late 60s), and she suffered her big fall when she was 73. Again, she initially visited us so we could help rehabilitate her after her injury.

Like Carol, Janice’s confidence was shattered by her fall. However, she noticed that working with us made her feel more confident in exercising and being generally active. After she finished her rehabilitation, she indicated she would like to continue with physical therapy. We were delighted to oblige!

We immediately suggested that Janice focus on a dedicated fall prevention plan, and we created a customized program that addressed her specific needs:

• Pain management helped control her osteoarthritis pain so she could work through her exercises.

• We continued the strength training program we had developed for her rehabilitation to restore strength throughout her lower body and core–crucial muscles in controlling balance.

• Focused balance training targeted the skills she needed most. We started her off with exercises that challenged her balance without putting her at risk, then increased the intensity as she improved (and Janice loved seeing her progress).

• Through gait training, we helped Janice improve her walking pattern, which had become impaired due to her OA pain. An improved gait helped her increase her overall mobility.

By the end of her program, Janice no longer feared falling the way she had before. In fact, she even enrolled in a local Tai Chi class to continue working on her strength and balance in a fun, supportive environment.

Can Balance Training Help You?

If you’re an older adult with multiple fall risk factors, a fall prevention program at Hands On Physical Therapy is the key to staying healthy and active. 

Contact us today to learn more! 

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