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ENJOY FALL WHILE AVOIDING FALLS
Fall is 100% my favorite time of year. Football, apple cider donuts, and October was National Physical Therapy Month...how can it get any better than that? Among older Americans car accidents are the #1 cause of: death from injury and injuries ingeneral.That’sastartlingstatisticwhenyou thinkabout it.Makes me think twice about going out joy riding on a fall weekend to check out the changing leaves. If car accidents are the #1 cause, can you guess what the second leading cause is? It’s a loaded question. Among older Americans falls are the #1 cause of: death from injury and injury in general. Falls are a serious problem. Every second an older American falls. One in three older adults reported a fall and that number increases with age. In 2014, falls impacted 46 million people. In 2030, that number is expected to increase 61% to impact 74 million people. Understanding what factors tend to contribute to falls as well as how to be proactive in screening for falls can help turn those statistics around. Here are the five most common reasons people fall: 1. Our vision can decrease as we age which can lead to falls due to not seeing clearly. 2. Our hips and leg muscles become weaker making it harder to walk and lift our feet. 3. We can develop poor posture making it harder to stand upright. 4. It takes longer to react when something is in our way. 5. Manymedications interactwithoneanotherwhichcancontribute todizziness or loss of balance. Having good balance is a team effort made up of three essential elements
First, your visual system. If you can’t see obstacles coming at you it is much harder tomaneuveraround them.Balance ismuchharder inadarkenvironment or with our eyes closed for this reason. Second, your inner ear or your vestibular system. This is your bodies “righting mechanism” to offset tipping, tilting, and turning your head. The details of the vestibular system are too indepth to describe here but suffice it to say, if you’ve ever experienced vertigo you understand the very important role your inner ear plays in balance. Lastly,yoursensorysystem.Specifically,yourproprioception.Proprioception isa fancy termforpositionsense.Thereare tinyreceptors inyour jointsandmuscles whichconstantlysendfeedback information toyourbraincommunicatingwhere your hands and legs are in space. Without this system working efficiently you can be much more prone to tripping over your foot causing unsteadiness or worse a fall. Wondering if you or a loved one is at increased risk for falls? I’ve included a fall screening questionnaire inside this edition of Move to Live. Based on your answers if you score > 4 further fall risk assessments should be completed. The testing takes about 15-20 minutes and can be performed right in our clinic. Don’t let pride or a “busy schedule” jeopardize yours or a loved one’s safety. A fallcansignificantly impactconfidenceand independence.Knowledge ispower. Knowing whether you’re at risk and what to specifically do to minimize that risk can make a world of difference. All the best, Joe
www.choiceptny.com
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