Am I going to fall?

AM I GOING TO FALL??

“I’ve noticed I am unstable, sometimes feel weak, and am having trouble doing everyday tasks because of it. What should I do?”

There is a link between lower body strength and a person’s ability to maintain functional mobility. Having good balance and leg strength help keep people able to perform their daily tasks safely. The best way to keep your balance good and your legs strong is to work at it. 

Having great lower body strength and working on improving balance helps prevent patients from FALLING! 

 Quick Self Balance and Strength Home Screen

1^st make sure that you are preforming these next activities in a safe environment, or if you don’t believe you can try safely, that’s a good reason to get some help!!

·      Try standing with one foot in front of the other with your heel touching your other toes. If you can’t hold this position for 30 seconds, with each foot in the back you have an increased chance for falls. 

·      Take a chair place it up against a wall and see how many times you can stand up and sit down in 30 seconds.  If you are under 80 years old and can’t perform at least 10 of these, that means you would benefit from strengthening of your legs. 

·      Try balancing on 1 foot without using your hands for support.  If you can’t do this for >5 seconds, you have an increased risk for falls.  Doing it for 30 seconds on each foot is actually the norm anything less is considered a balance deficit . 

Why Imagine Physical Therapy?

The BEST place to start if you are having decreased balance or lower extremity strength is with an Imagine Physical Therapy therapist.  We have done all the heavy lifting, reading all the research, creating the best plan of action. We will look at your strength, how you perform some balance specific tasks, and some activities of everyday function like climbing stairs or stepping over an object. We will work on the things that challenge you and YOU WILL GET BETTER.  

Don’t wait if you are having any of these issues, the sooner you address some of the challenges the better.  FALLS ARE THE ENEMY!!!!

Please contact your nearest Imagine Physical Therapy Clinic to schedule an appointment today!!

https://imaginept.com/locations

References

1. Thomas E, Battaglia G, Patti A, et al. Physical activity programs for balance and fall prevention in elderly: A systematic review. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019;98(27):e16218. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000016218 
2. Jones CJ, Rikli RE, Beam WC. A 30-s chair-stand test as a measure of lower body strength in community-residing older adults. Res Q Exerc Sport. 1999;70(2):113-119. doi:10.1080/02701367.1999.10608028

3. Springer BA, Marin R, Cyhan T, Roberts H, Gill NW. Normative values for the unipedal stance test with eyes open and closed. J Geriatr Phys Ther. 2007;30(1):8-15. doi:10.1519/00139143-200704000-00003