Fall Prevention and Balance Training For Seniors
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
Fall Prevention and Balance Training For Seniors
By Dr. David Thornton
Falls account for 65% of all injuries among seniors. Even in community assisted facilities, 30% of these seniors experience at least one fall per year. 40% of the falls resulting in hospital stays are attributable to hip fractures. With an estimated cost of $2.4 billion annually to treat injuries to seniors, injuries due to falls represent 41% of this cost to our health care system.
Clearly, these statistics represent a dire need for fall prevention screening and ADL (activities of daily living) instruction for the prevention and/or reduction of falls experienced by our seniors.
Fall prevention screening involves evaluation techniques which are utilized to identify factors such as decreases in flexibility, strength, endurance, and coordination. Unfortunately, with age, people tend to become less active and more sedentary. This begins a slow process of diminished conditioning, which mostly goes unnoticed as typical daily demands fail to identify deficiencies. Most people chalk-up diminished conditioning as a rite of passage and fail to appreciate that conditioning occurs by the stresses and demands that are placed upon the body. Normal stresses and demands promote positive healthy conditioning. Abnormal stresses and demands, including inadequate activities, promote negative conditioning.
Balance training involves precise exercise activities which facilitate an increase in flexibility, strength, endurance, and coordination. Unfortunately, mainstream health care tends to look at balance training as a rehabilitative program for injury treatment, rather than as a preventative strategy. This is understandable due to the fact that prevention screenings are not even considered as a standard of care for seniors. However, in light of the statistical facts, it should be agreed that this view is no longer acceptable considering our wealth of knowledge and technical capabilities.
Prevention can be so easily accomplished from a vast array of balance training exercises ranging from the low tech (low expense) to the high tech (high expense). Simple activities such as standing on 1 leg or with eyes closed are examples of low tech. Expensive vibration platforms are examples of high tech. Wobble boards, gait training activities, and other surface changing devices or techniques are examples of mid range technologies.
The key is to start with proper evaluation and assessment, followed by “qualified” doctor supervision. A qualified doctor is not simply any licensed health care professional. Doctors should be knowledgeable and experienced with fall prevention evaluation and balance training with a significant percentage of their practices addressing this specifically.
Dr. David Thornton D.C. is a Health & Wellness Consultant providing a variety of quality health care services throughout Arlington and metro DFW, including Chiropractic Care for those who need it.
He specializes in a multi-faceted approach to the human body and the various daily factors effecting individual Degrees of Wellness.
He, also, specializes in the soft tissue repair and remodeling for damage induced by aging, deconditioning, illness, injury, and the stresses of daily living.
http://fitness.drdavidthornton.com
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