PHYSICAL THERAPY AND FALL PREVENTION
how can physical therapy help? As a patient, your physical therapy evaluation will include several assessments to clearly define their fall risk factors. These may include cognitive tests, assessment of vitals at rest and with activity, as well as evaluation of your gait, balance, flexibility and strength. Based on the results of this evaluation, one of our physical therapists will design a treatment plan around your specific needs. These plans are aimed first and foremost at reducing your risk of falling, but they will also aid in improving balance, strength, flexibility, endurance, and overall movement. Some common forms of treatment include: • Pain management. Joint and muscle pain can exacerbate fall risk, so any orthopedic impairments are a top priority addressed in physical therapy treatment. • Gait training. Our physical therapist will evaluate the need for an assistive device, or perhaps make modifications to what you are currently using. Gait training will include activities to not only improve gait mechanics, but also increase your confidence and safety in navigating across different terrains and around different obstacles. • Balance training. Both static and dynamic balance training will be incorporated in physical therapy treatment to help you learn to better respond to environmental challenges to their balance. For example, you may be asked to stand on one leg while performing a mentally-challenging task, such
as reciting the alphabet or reading a paragraph of text out loud. Our physical therapists will also teach you balance strategies to help mitigate fall risk. • Strength training. Muscle weakness, especially around the hips and core, is often a primary contributing factor to poor balance and falls. With strength and balance training, patients are better equipped to recover from unexpected perturbations or a momentary loss of balance to prevent falls. • Endurance training. Endurance training will help to improve not just muscle endurance for activity but also your aerobic capacity for activity, both of which will reduce fatigue as a risk factor for falls. A fall prevention plan is vital to have in place for those at risk for falls. No one should live in fear of sustaining a fall or fall-related injury. If you or someone you know are at risk for falls, contact us today!
Visit synergyrehabandwellness.com for more information, or call your physical therapist at Synergy Rehab to schedule your appointment today!
Sources www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=85726fb6-14c4-4c16-9a4c-3736dceac9f0 www.apta.org/Media/Releases/Consumer/2011/9/23/ www.apta.org/BalanceFalls/ www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2019/02/27/CochraneFallsPrevention/#
You’re Invited To Our Upcoming Workshop! ADVICE FROM A CERTIFIED HAND SPECIALIST With Dr. Meghan Little, Certified Hand Therapist DEC. 2 • 6 PM at the STAUNTON LOCATION Are you experiencing pain in your thumbs, numbness in your hands, or trouble opening jars or snapping fingers? Hear from our Certified Hand Specialist Dr. Little and learn the source of your hand achiness, stiffness, or swollenenss as well as your pain relief options! Need a hand with hand pain? Visit our workshop to see how you can snap out of hand pain! Visit synergyrehabandwellness.com to register for our FREE community workshop.
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