Slow As Possible!
You must have heard your physical therapist say to bend your elbow or squat as slowly as possible because muscle fibers are strongest as they move eccentrically.
By Pallavi Agawane, PT, MSPT
Falls are very common in older adults. They have been the leading cause of wrist, hip, and shoulder fractures due to a fall in older adults.
There are many causes of falls including underlying musculoskeletal conditions, neurological conditions, vestibular dysfunction, and pharmacological and fall hazards in your environment.
Physical therapy can help you to prevent and decrease fall risks with education for identifying fall hazards around you,
improving postural stability, strength in antigravity muscles, improving strategies to enhance your reflexes, and improving proprioception to help prevent falls.
As the famous saying goes prevention is better than cure. A physical therapist will help you identify if you are a fall risk by a detailed evaluation of musculoskeletal, neurological, and medical history to develop a plan of care to decrease fall risk and prevent consequences from the same.
If you have been noticing you are trying to reach for the wall while walking down the hallway,
definite use of side rails while negotiating steps, difficulty maintaining your balance while carrying your groceries then you would benefit from screening for fall risk from your PCP and/or your physical therapist and interventions for the same!
