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Why Balance Is Key to Fall Prevention

Fall prevention becomes more and more important as we get older. The No. 1 reason that people fall is that they have poor balance. As we get older and have less balance, that creates a greater chance of falling, which is the No. 1 injury as we age. Today we are going to show you a few simple ways to tell if you are having balancing issues and how you can improve them if you are.

First, can you walk up a flight of stairs without holding onto anything? Can you walk down the stairs without holding on to anything? When you walk off a curb, are you walking straight or to the side? As we get older, we tend to walk with a wider gait to make up for our lack of balance. These subtle changes in our movement lead to a lack of balance and make it difficult to react when we stumble or move onto an uneven surface.

This can be especially hazardous in scenarios where there’s nothing for you to hold on. You can’t reach out and grab anything in the middle of an icy street, for example. Circumstances like these could lead to a number of different injuries.

The first thing you can do to test your balance is simply standing on one foot. You should be able to maintain your balance for 10 seconds on both sides. Next, close your eyes while you do the same thing.

These tests are not only great ways to measure your balance, but also to practice and improve it. Better still, you can do them anywhere. The more you practice these, the better you will be at balancing and the safer you will be in the event that you do lose your balance. The quickness of your reaction is directly related to your balance.

If you are having any difficulty with balance or simply have a fear of falling, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email today so we can help out. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Why Balance Is Key to Fall Prevention

Why Balance Is Key to Fall Prevention