The Need for Balance Rehabilitation
Falls are Serious Business, Fight the Falls with FYZICAL!
When it comes to falls prevention, there are addressable factors that lead to an increased risk of falls. Among the highest risks is vestibular dysfunction; the most accurate way to assess vestibular dysfunction is with computerized dynamic posturography (CDP).
FYZICAL takes falls prevention seriously, which is why all of our patients are encouraged to complete a sensory organization test on our CDP. This test is the only conclusive way for us to evaluate your vestibular deficits and differentiate these from sensory deficits of your vision and somatosensory system. By assessing vestibular dysfunction, and differ-entiating between other sensory issues our Balance Rehabilitation Ex-perts are able to establish the best plan of care to prevent Falls.
The FYZICAL Balance Paradigm is the only program of its kind to use sensory weighting to pinpoint your deficits and target your unique plan of care. And it all starts with Sensory Categorization using our CDP.
Advanced age is a leading risk factor for falling. For those aged 65 years or older, one in three individuals will fall this year. For those aged 65 years or older who fall, one-in-four will end up with a hip fracture and up to 30% of those individuals will never make it out of the hospital alive.
Regardless of age, if you have dizziness and underlying vestibular dys-function, you are more than 12 times more likely to have a fall. Even without the dizziness, if you have vestibular dysfunction, you are more than 6 times more likely to have a fall. Falls are the leading cause of ac-cidental death for individuals over 65, but they can be prevented with Balance and Vestibular Rehabilitation.
Ready to stop falling? FYZICAL is the only Level III Balance Rehabilitation Clinic in Oklahoma City.
Submitted by Dr. Lauren Collier Peterson, PT, DPT
Clinical Director FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City
Dr. Peterson and her staff provide Physical Therapy for patients with pelvic floor dysfunction, imbalance and falls risk, & orthopedic injuries in OKC.
She has treated hundreds of men and women with pelvic floor issues ranging from incontinence and constipation to pain and prolapse. While she has a particular clinical interest in pelvic pain disorders, she wants everyone to enjoy good pelvic health and to know that “Leaks are not normal!”
Agrawal, et al. (2009). Disorders of Balance and Vestibular Function in US Adults: Data from the Nation-al Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2004. Archives of Internal Medicine, 169, 938-944.