Falls

Have you ever fallen down before? Does it happen often, or is it more of a stumble and then you catch yourself? You may have noticed that this is a bit more common as you get older, or you may have heard about falls increasing with age. But this doesn't have to be the case. Just because you’re getting older doesn't mean you are destined to fall.

However, certain factors will increase your risk of falling. Now, I'm not writing this to scare you. No, I'm writing this so that you can look at these factors and do something about them, giving you the power to take back control. Falls are strongly linked to reduced quality of life, loss of confidence, and injury, so we want to try and avoid that at all costs.

A big component when assessing falls risk is balance. To maintain balance, your body utilises different systems, including what you feel (proprioception), what you see (visual), and knowing where you are (vestibular). These different systems feed back to your nervous system to help you establish your balance, alongside using the strength in your muscles. When we assess balance, we are looking at the ability to stand strong and stable with a narrow base of support, e.g. feet together, one foot in front of the other, and standing on one leg. Then, to make it harder, we ask you to do it with your eyes closed, challenging your body to rely on the other two systems and to see if there was any difference.

The good thing about testing balance is that it very easily shows the areas we need to work on, and usually, the tests we have done can also be your exercises! Completing these easy exercises daily can improve your balance very quickly. I have seen clients improve within a week! Balance doesn't have to be scary, as long as you do it safely and understand why you’re doing it. You can start to feel more confident and safer on your feet!