How many of us know someone over the age of 65 who has fallen and injured themselves?  Or remember the commercial catch phrase “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up?”  Probably most of us could answer “yes” to those questions.  But what if you could stop those falls before they happened?  The truth is that you can prevent many falls before they occur.

There is no time machine to go back and stop that slip, trip, or loss of balance.  Stopping a fall before it happens requires early awareness and work.  Right now, we know that 1 in 4 adults over the age of 65 report falling according to the CDC.  (We suspect that number is much higher, but people do not always report falls.)  We also know that most adults begin to experience a slow decline in balance beginning in their 40’s and 50’s.  It is this exact decline in balance that can lead to those falls experienced later in life.

Deteriorating balance can happen for many reasons.  Changes in our joints and mobility, eyes, and sensation can all play a role in a loss of balance.  The other factor is that we often just do not continue to work on balance as we get older.  Think about that.  As a child, everything we do helps build the skill of balance – playing, jumping, participating in sports or the arts.  As an adult, most of us let go of these activities because of time constraints between family, work, and friends.  We also do not think about working on balance as part of our normal fitness routine.  And because balance is a skill, it is something that needs to be practiced and challenged regularly in order to remain functioning at a higher level.  

This is where a visit with a Physical Therapist (PT) can help.  A PT can assess your strength, mobility, and balance.  They can also review your medical history, medications, and home environment.  Then, taking all of that information, the PT can help you identify areas and solutions to work on now to lower the risk of a fall happening in the future. The solutions could include: an exercise program to address mobility, strength and balance deficits, recommendations for medical follow-up, and suggestions for home modifications to reduce fall risk.

It is recommended that getting your balance checked becomes part of your annual wellness routine!  Just like going for your physical and dental appointments, an annual visit with your Physical Therapist can help you identify little areas to address before they become big problems in the future.  

Annual Wellness visits are part of our services at Smith PT+.  Call us today to schedule!