Senior Health
Have you felt unsteady, off balance, or even taken a fall? Do you tend to "tip" over easily or find yourself reaching to hold onto something? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, your health may be in jeopardy!
Consider this: Falls among the elderly are the leading cause of injury death among adults 65 years of age and older (Hoyert, Kochanek & Murphy, 1999). Many possible causes have been attributed to this over the past decade, but the good news is that educational awareness combined with home safety inspections and modifications have helped to offset the number of fall incidence rates among older adults.
What causes falls? A number of factors contribute to unsteadiness including conditions associated with the aging process, such as loss of vision, hearing, loss of feeling in the feet, etc. Disease, medications, and external factors associated with normal daily living also play a part in maintaining balance. Not all older adults fall for the same reason, and many of the primary reasons which contribute to falls are preventable. Proper muscle strengthening exercises combined with healthy lifestyle changes and disease prevention reduced the incident rate of falls and injuries.
A proper understanding of balance itself and what contributes to balance is necessary. Balance can be defined as ones Center of Mass (gravity) and good balance requires good posture. What is good posture? Think of an imaginary plumb line dropped from the apex of the head through the center of gravity of the body. This line should pass through the tip of the shoulder, the center of the hip joint and ankle joint, and slightly behind the knee joint. Now body weight is balanced over the spine and lower extremity joints, an ideal position which requires minimal muscular effort, thus preventing muscular imbalances. Test your posture - stand with your back against a wall and try to touch the back of the head, shoulders, buttocks, calves, and heels to the wall. If this is difficult for you to do, you may have some postural imbalances (also called muscle deviations) which need correction.
Three key elements play a role in your bodies ability to stabilize itself - your ankle, your hips, and your length of stride or "gait". Improvement in these areas through proper strength training, range of motion, and balance exercises will greatly reduce your risk of taking a fall.
External conditions also play a role. Prevention is important in maintaining good health, so take a quick "walk through" of your living areas. Do you have throw rugs, loose carpets, stairs which need repair, or highly polished floors? Is your lighting adequate, including the absence of night-lights? Do you have a light at the bottom step? Many falls are a result of a "last" missed step because it is not seen.
Take inventory of your health as well - do you take a combination of more than four prescription medications? Do you have diabetes or arthritis? How about a joint replacement? Not all the risk factors are the same for all older adults and will change over time, but older adults who remain physically active are at a lower risk for falls than their peers who limit or curtail their levels of physical activity as they grow older.
Lastly, come up with a plan on what you will need to do to improve your posture and muscle strength. This could include various exercise programs such as walking, water aerobics, resistance training, or cardiovascular training. Maybe a membership at a gym is in order, or have you thought about working with a personal trainer? Improving muscle strength, cardiovascular health, and range of motion will go a long way in regaining your balance and preventing a fall!
Age successfully - you can do it! Regain your balance and you'll feel better, become more active, enjoy your daily activities more, and greatly improve your quality of life! Most of all, you'll be taking an important step toward better health! |
Articles Written By David Cummings
Article "10 Tips To Better Balance"
|
