Worried about the risk of falling?

It is reported that up to 30% of older people may fall in a year. Up to one in five falls can lead to medical attention being required, though less than one in ten results in a fracture. However, there is good news! There is strong research-based evidence that specific exercises designed to improve your muscle strength and postural control, particularly when enjoyed in a group setting and done on a regular basis, are very effective at reducing your risk of a fall.

At our ‘Balance and Mobility’ classes which are chartered physiotherapist led, and run twice weekly, we assess your movement and ensure your exercises are being done correctly, as well as providing you with home exercises to do between classes. In addition to improving your balance and strength, should you unfortunately have a fall at home, we provide training on how to get yourself up from the floor. Also, our physiotherapists can help you think about the provision of compensatory strategies, if needed. This all helps to maintain independent living and confidence to go about your normal life. Remember it is always easier to maintain than restore, so start your falls prevention exercises early!

Modern living has many benefits; however, some features of modern life, such as excessive time spent sitting, can over many years, gradually, almost imperceptibly affect our bodies, resulting in reduced mobility, poorer balance and weaker muscles. It is no surprise that these changes have been shown to make us more atrisk of a fall, as can poor vision and dementia. Our early ancestors abandoned the stability offered by moving with the use of all four limbs. While offering us some advantages, the act of remaining upright while on the move, is only achieved through complex interactions between several areas of our body.

We use our vision to see our environment and any changes to it. We need our proprioceptive sense, which enables our body to know exactly where it is in space and works our reflexes to react to unexpected changes, such as that step you didn’t see. We rely on our vestibular system (inner ear) to give us our sense of balance and spatial awareness, so we can coordinate movement safely. Finally, the strength in our muscles creates the movements required to react effectively to these senses. This allows us to work the correct muscles at the right time with appropriate force, to complete tasks such as walking, climbing the stairs and even just standing. Our muscles are constantly adjusting, to prevent us from falling over. They give us what we call ‘postural control’, which is the combined effect of our gait, balance, functional tasks, strength, flexibility and endurance.

If you would like more information about our Falls Prevention Services, please contact Tavistock Physio Clinics on 01822 617722 or visit www.tavistockphysio.co.uk

Gillespie LD, Robertson MC, Gillespie WJ, Sherrington C, Gates S, Clemson LM, Lamb SE. (2012) Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD007146. DOI:10.1002/14651858.CD007146.pub3.

Sherrington C, Tiedemann A (2015) Physiotherapy in the prevention of falls in older people. Journal of Physiotherapy 61: 54–60