Do you feel unsteady when your walking? Have you fallen more than 1x in the past year? Are there times when you worry about falling? If you or any loved one answered “yes” to any of these questions, assessment by a physical therapist would be well worth your time.
Once a fall has occurred, there is often a cycle of events and feelings that follow the incident. First, the individual typically becomes fearful or anxious about falling again. The fear often decreases participation in the specific activity that caused the fall or with activity in general. Decreased participation in activity leads to muscle weakness and more balance deficits thus increasing the risk of or actually falling again. Breaking the fall cycle is paramount for avoiding severe repercussions and limitations in function in the future.
Falling Defined
We hear about falls all the time but technically, what is falling?
Falling is any event when your center of gravity (located just below the waistline) moves outside of your base of support causing you to lose balance.
Once a fall is occurring, it can only be stopped by grabbing for support (which may still injure you or someone else), using a stepping strategy (quick step with a leg) to catch yourself or completing the fall causing you to hit a surface such a piece of furniture, a step or the ground. The ability for the body and brain to identify when you are falling, along with having a quick enough response to catch yourself, rapidly declines with age and/or a previous injury. While the time and place of a fall cannot usually be predicted, your risk of falling can be easily assessed by a physical therapist.
If you or a loved one are at risk, then seeking help can mitigate your chances of injury and/or the possibility of loss of independence.
The Risks of Falling
Unfortunately, falls account for:
- More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling
- Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries
- 25% of all hospital admissions
- 40% of all nursing home admissions with 42% of those admitted not returning to independent living
Other fall risk statistics include:
- Falls account for over 3 million ER visits a year.
- 25% of people who fall, die within one year of the incident.
- For individuals 65-84 years of age, falls are the second leading cause of death.
- For individuals 85+ years old, falls are the leading cause of death.
- At 80+ years, over half of the seniors fall annually.
Fall Risk Screening
Fortunately, there are easy ways to screen your risk of falling. A physical therapist will help you navigate through medical history questions and tests including but not limited to:
- Heart problems
- Foot problems
- Incontinence
- Medications and their side effects
- Identifying postural hypotension
- Gait, strength and balance tests
- Assessing the need for an assistive device
- Assessing the living environment to decrease fall risks
It is also important to have a general physical with your primary healthcare practitioner and an eye test every year to also help identify other factors that may lead to a fall.
If you are concerned about your balance and fall risk, give us a call at Fyzical Balance and Therapy Centers, Lake Forest today to schedule your fall risk assessment today!
To learn more about how FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers can help you, download our free e-book.