Falls and Balance

The word fall seems like a very simple word but has drastic effects on individuals who have had falls, especially in the older population. Children and teenagers, on the other hand, generally don’t have to worry about it because they have good balance developed from an everyday activity like running, jumping around, playing and exploring the world. Youth also has a stronger ability to heal from injury, therefore it wouldn’t be too big of an issue even if the fall happens.

For adults and older individuals, falling comes with more unwanted effects. Stating the obvious, we get taller as we grow. This also means we fall harder since we are further away from the ground. The healing abilities of an adult and older individuals are also not as good, therefore injuries take time to heal. During this time, muscle tends to atrophy relatively fast, so rebuilding muscle mass would take time. With the loss of muscle mass also comes with reduced balance as well and increase the risk of falling.

From that vicious cycle of falling, deteriorating and further increasing risk of falling, something has to be changed. We highly recommend starting an exercise program that specifically trains your balance. Balance specific exercises have been found to reduce the risk of falls, especially in older individuals. 

With that said, make sure you check in with a physiotherapist to ensure you are safe to complete the specific exercises. Some of these exercises are specially designed to challenge your balance, in which there is always that risk of falling during the completion of the exercise. To ensure safety, it is best to get a trained pair of eyes to monitor and guide your process.

If reducing the risk of falling is something you are interested in, speak to a physiotherapist to see which exercises are best suited for you. At capital physiotherapy, we encourage exercise based therapy as a preventive measure for falls risk reduction. Our physiotherapists have ample experience setting up balance specific exercise program and can give individualized recommendations to help with falls prevention. Our clinics are located in Balwyn, Footscray and South Yarra so contact us today at info@capitalphysiotherapy.com.au and get a holistic individualized program set up that is best suited for you.