If you’re concerned about falling, then it’s important that you seek help.
Falls aren’t ‘just part of getting older’ and don’t ‘just happen’. Many people who are older don’t fall, but some do. The people who do fall most likely have more risk factors, things about them that make them more likely to have a fall. Most of these risk factors can be helped and your risk of falling can be reduced with physiotherapy input. Here are the top risk factors for falling that a physio can help you with.
Leg muscle weakness
Muscle strength is harder to maintain as we get older. That means we need to put more work into keeping our muscles strong. Also, we are likely to be less active as we age, increasing our likelihood of muscle weakness. Fortunately, this is really easy to improve with targeted exercise from a physiotherapist.
Balance
Older people with poor balance are more likely to fall. Sometimes poor balance is attributable to a particular condition, such as issues with the inner ear, balance can be improved with appropriate exercise.
The way you walk
Walking problems due to pain, weakness, impairments of coordination or balance increase fall risk. Walking very little every day (such as only walking around the house and not outdoors) also increases fall risk. Our physios can help someone understand why they have walking problems, help them improve their walking with exercises, and give someone confidence to walk more often and for further. We can also advise on selecting an appropriate walking aid, such as a walking stick or walking frame if needed.
Low blood pressure when standing up
This is called postural hypotension and it is common. It is that ‘light-headed’ feeling we all get from time to time when we stand up too quickly and our blood pressure doesn’t adjust quickly enough. Many things can cause postural hypotension, such as medications and certain medical conditions. However, being less fit can also contribute to postural hypotension. A physiotherapist can help you improve your overall fitness with cardiovascular exercise, which can reduce the symptoms of postural hypotension.
Fear!
People who are afraid of falling avoid activity and become deconditioned. This can very quickly lead to an increase in all of the other risk factors mentioned above through general deconditioning. Developing a plan on how to tackle falls risk factors with a physio is the first step.
If you have any of these risk factors and would like help please get in contact.
