Dizziness, imbalance and falls are a significant problem for the elderly and one of the most common reasons for hospitalizations or visits to the doctor.
Here are some statistics:
Every 20 minutes, an elderly person dies from a fall
1 in 4 older adults reports falls with 24% of those requiring medical treatment
Less than half of the elderly who fall talk to their doctors about it, with men being less likely to report falls than women.
Despite these harrowing statistics, luckily falls are not just a symptom of aging.
Dizziness, imbalance and falls are not considered a normal part of aging and, in fact, generally indicate that there may be problems that affect the balance systems.
Its balance depends on three senses: vision (eyes), proprioception (sensors in the feet and legs) and the vestibular system (inner ear).
The brain interprets this information and sends messages to the eyes, feet and other parts of the body to maintain balance and focus. Dizziness, imbalance and falls may indicate that these systems are not working properly.
Falls can be directly related to the malfunction of one or more of these balance systems. Risk factors for falls include vestibular disorders, household hazards, visual impairment, foot / ankle disorders, vitamin D deficiency, certain medications, and orthostatic hypotension (a type of low blood pressure that occurs after standing up or lying down).
Fall prevention strategies generally aim to address one or more of these risk factors.
Exercise is an extremely useful tool to help prevent falls, however, not all exercises are considered equal.
An exercise routine should focus on strength, endurance, flexibility and balance training to reap all the benefits of exercise related to reducing the risk of falling.
It is recommended to consult a physical therapist if you feel that you are having balance problems.
A physical therapist will make a comprehensive assessment of your balance and risk of falling, while offering balance training and prescribing specific exercises for your deficits.
The physiotherapist experienced in treating the vestibular system is specialized in assessing and treating patients with balance and dizziness disorders and can provide additional resources.
Imbalance, falls and dizziness are not considered part of aging and generally indicate that there may be problems with your balance system.
It is recommended that you take action if you experience these symptoms: talk to your physical therapist and exercise! ONE Fisioterapia offers physiotherapy, vestibular rehabilitation and wellness services with the aim of improving balance and reducing the risk of falls.
Why will you wait for the injury to arise if you can prevent it and not suffer from pain?
Now leaving for the sports area, I receive patients in my offices daily who practice sports such as Running, Swimming, Cycling, Crossfit, Football, Basketball, Tennis among others and they all have the same profile: they are unaware of the importance of Preventive Physiotherapy.
This is a cultural problem, we were educated to seek help “only” when we are already feeling the pain, but we did not receive the education of our parents, grandparents, teachers and friends that the CORRECT is to avoid the pain, prevent injuries.
Yes, that’s right, in the same way that you brush your teeth to prevent cavities, in the same way that you do preventive maintenance on your car so that it doesn’t stop in the middle of the road, we must do the same with our muscles and our joints .
Do you not agree with me that it would be much better to invest in prevention than in treatment?
Doing specific prevention work you will not suffer from pain, you will not be absent from your training due to the injury, you will not spend time and money on medications, tests, consultations and treatments, you will not miss events and parties due to the pain that incapacitates you , it will harm your work to be able to dedicate yourself to the treatment and you also run the risk of having to undergo surgical procedures.
That’s why I’m here today to teach you what we should all know, but unfortunately due to lack of information, nobody told us: DO A PREVENTIVE JOB. You just have to win.
Let’s make prevention a common habit in our lives!
And when I talk about prevention, I don’t mean only physical therapy or strengthening.
It is also important to eat well, have a good night’s sleep, warm up before your sport and stretch after physical activity, and rest your mind after work and on weekends.