Total Performance | What Is a Good Fall Prevention Plan

Getting active is one of the best things you can do to reduce your risk of falling. This is why the fear of falling can be so insidious, as it prevents people from engaging in the physical activity that can protect them from falls. For that reason, a good fall prevention plan is actually a plan to help you get more active. We’ll work with you to identify the areas holding you back from a physically active lifestyle–whether that’s pain, instability, or something else– and address them. Because we customize every fall prevention plan to suit the patient’s needs, no two plans are alike. However, we’ll generally pull from the following techniques: • Pain Management: If persistent or chronic pain is holding you back, we can help address pain through manual therapy, gentle exercise, or pain-relieving modalities. • Balance Training: The cornerstone of any fall prevention plan, balance training consists of specialized exercises that challenge your balance. We’ll increase the difficulty as you improve, ensuring you see results. • Strength Training: Weak muscles, especially core muscles, are a significant source of instability. We’ll show you appropriate strength training exercises that will help improve your balance while standing and walking–and make it easier for you to recover from a momentary loss in balance. • Gait Training: Your gait refers to your walking pattern, and you’re more likely to fall if it’s impaired. We’ll help correct gait issues so you can walk with confidence. • Exercise Program: Once you’ve worked through our fall prevention plan, we’ll help you develop an exercise What’s Involved in a Fall Prevention Plan?

program, such as Tai Chi or a walking regime, to get you moving when you’re not in the clinic. What To Expect During Your Sessions Your initial appointment will consist of an in-depth physical evaluation that includes the following: 1.A complete health history 2.Examination of your particular fall risk factors 3.Movement screens to evaluate gait, mobility, strength, and balance 4.Discussion of your specific goals This information helps us create the best fall prevention plan for your needs, which we’ll guide you through during subsequent appointments. We provide a space where you can exercise without fear of injury. We also always meet you at your current ability level–although we will help you improve by gradually increasing the difficulty of your exercises! Find Your Balance Today! Don’t let a fear of falling keep you from your favorite activities. The Total Performance therapists will help you get back on your feet–and stay there. Call today to get started with an initial fall risk assessment.

Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/falls/facts.html • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560761/ • https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical- therapy-guide-falls

OUR SPECIALTIES

Aqua Therapy Physical therapy that takes place in water, usually in a clinic pool, is known as aquatic therapy. This type of therapy is preferred if you want to reduce the amount of pressure on the joints, allowing you to move with less pain. It offers relaxing effects that can help with pain alleviation, relaxation, and improved mobility. Benefits differ from person to person based on what your end goal is for your therapeutic program, but overall you should expect to feel much better after each session with your therapist! All our pools are private and heated.

Dizziness, Vertigo and Concussions Do you ever feel wobbly or off-balance? Dizziness, vertigo, and concussions can have a detrimental impact on your everyday life, making it difficult to do even the most simple tasks. Conditions that can cause vertigo or dizziness and balance issues include vestibular neuritis, migraines, Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease and stroke. Our physical therapists may be able to help you find a long-term solution to your problem through vestibular rehabilitation.

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