Balance and Fall Prevention

Whether you’re dealing with diminished confidence, decreased mobility, or lack of independence after a fall, our therapists can help. Unlike other providers in the greater Los Angeles area, APT’s therapists can help you develop the mindset you need to get back up on your feet after a fall. We’re here to help you build up your confidence, improve your balance, and learn techniques that can help prevent future falls.

Why is Balance and Fall Prevention Important?

As you age, your ability to remain balanced, or equilibrium, decreases. This makes you more likely to experience falls. Falling — or even a fear of falling — can diminish your ability to live a full and independent life. Participating in a balance and fall prevention program can help you:

  • Boost your self-esteem
  • Rebuild your confidence after a fall
  • Restore mobility after a fall
  • Regain independence
  • Reduce your likelihood of a fall
  • Live life without the fear of falling
  • Correct and enhance your gait
  • Strengthen your core stability muscles to develop and maintain good posture

Different Groups Who Benefit from Balance and Fall Prevention

Anyone can lose their balance and fall, but balance and fall prevention can be especially beneficial for:

  • People ages 65 and older. Older adults have an increased risk of falling because of vision changes, vestibular problems, and altered sensations in their feet which can cause difficulty walking. People over 65 might also have a condition known as postural hypotension which can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, and other symptoms that increase the risk of falling.
  • People living with conditions that impact their gait and balance. Arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Meniere’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, myopathy, stroke, vertigo, Chiari malformation, peripheral neuropathy, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spinal cord infarction can all make staying balanced difficult.
  • People who frequently deal with dizziness. Ailments such as stroke, low blood pressure, ear infection, or motion sickness can all cause dizziness. Dizziness is most often caused by problems in the areas of the brain that regulate balance. When this part of the brain isn’t functioning properly, individuals can experience disorientation, imbalance, and lightheadedness, which can increase the risk of falling.
  • People taking certain medications. Many medications have side effects that can alter your balance, make you feel dizzy, and increase your risk of falling. Medications commonly associated with balance problems, vertigo, and dizziness include antidepressants, anticonvulsants, high blood pressure medicine, anti-anxiety medications, diuretics, sedatives, antihistamines, and diabetes medication.

How Athletic PT Prioritizes Balance and Fall Prevention

Here at Athletic Physical Therapy, we prioritize balance and fall prevention for people of all ages. Everyone, regardless of their age or background, can — and should — work to better their balance.

We can help you improve your balance through our proprietary ARC Progression approach. In this program, our therapists will help you:

  • Reduce inflammation and pain in your body that may be hindering your equilibrium. When you first begin the ARC progression, you may be afraid to move certain ways out of fear of falling. We understand that. That’s why our therapists will work with you to build up your confidence as we begin gentle exercises and procedures to reduce pain and inflammation that may be related to balance issues and falls.
  • Strengthen areas of your body that can help improve your gait and balance. At this stage of the ARC Progression, you should begin to feel better and have more confidence.  We’ll work to strengthen parts of the body that can help you walk better and improve your balance. The exercises here will be more intense than they were in the first stage, but our therapists will help you develop the perseverance you need to reach your balance and fall prevention goals.
  • Regain your balance and independence. In this stage, our therapists will help you restore the power and performance of your postural muscles. As they do, your body will start to regain its natural balance, helping to restore your mobility and independence.

Types of Treatment and Exercises for Balance and Fall Prevention

Some of the treatments we use to help improve balance and reduce the risk of falling include:

  • Vestibular compensation, a process that helps the brain regain balance control and minimize dizziness that occurs when there’s an imbalance between the right and left vestibular organs in the inner ear. Regaining this balance can help improve coordination and reduce the risk of falling.
  • Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises, a series of gentle exercises that help relieve symptoms of vertigo by encouraging you to move your head and eyes around to properly situate yourself in an environment. These exercises also include coordinated hand-eye motions to help restore your sense of balance so you don’t fall. The exercises are easy to do at home and don’t require long periods of time.
  • Gaze stabilization exercises, which are designed to help improve your vision while your head is moving and you are viewing a stationary object. Doing these exercises can help improve visual clarity which can help reduce the risk of falls.
  • Physical exercises to prevent falling such as leg and knee bends, leg lifts, sit-to-stand, toe-heel balance, heel-to-toe walking, hip circles, and one-leg balance.

Our individualized plan might also include:

  • Flexibility testing and exercises
  • Walking (gait) patterns
  • Footwear recommendations
  • Balance training
  • Risk reduction and modification education
  • At-home personalized balance and fall prevention program

Get Back on Your Feet

Our balance and fall prevention program can help restore your confidence, improve your coordination, and reduce your risk of falling in the future.

Don’t want to take our word for it — check our testimonials page. Time and again, our clients say that:

  • Our clinical expertise helped them recover quickly and completely
  • Other physical therapy clinics don’t compare to the knowledge and service we provide
  • They were able to return to their daily routines and activities better than ever

If that’s what you want, let us help you regain your confidence, restore your mobility, and regain your independence. Contact us to get started today.

Athletic PT Patient Satisfaction

We could talk for hours about how great we are, but we'd rather show you what our patients think of Athletic Physical Therapy.

97 Patient Quality 96 Same PT 97 Short Wait 99 Recommend Us

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