“How the inside of your body effects the outside?”

The changes inside our bodies impact the outside, resulting in various negative effects on the way we move our bodies, which of course can be painful and distressing when we try to go about our daily lives.  The Physiotherapists at Ashbourne Physiotherapy and Hilton Physiotherapy, are professional, passionate, caring and offer a tailored treatment to suit the patient’s needs.

Many of us become less active as we age. Over time, this can lead to considerable muscle wastage.  Between the ages of 50 and 70, we lose around 30% of our muscle strength, which is NOT IDEAL if we are trying to regain our balance or prevent a fall.

“Strength exercises are crucial to maintain muscle mass as we age”

“Tailored Physio treatments together with specific exercises are carefully adapted and customized to suit the patient’s needs.”

We all know that anyone can trip or fall, but the risk of falling increases as we get older. So often we hear people saying it was a silly accident – ‘I tripped on the mat’, or ‘bumped into my stool which has always been there,’ or ‘I didn’t see my dog lying on the floor’.

But, as we get older, accidental falls, however stupid the reason for them, can have extremely serious consequences, which is why learning how to reduce that risk of falling, or knowing how to cope if you do fall, becomes potentially life-saving. If we’re lucky when we fall, we’ll only suffer a bruise or maybe a cut, but even these take longer to heal when we’re older, due to the poorer blood circulation, fragility of our skin and skin healing rates which can be further affected by diseases like diabetes as well as some medications. But one of the greatest threats to long-term health and wellbeing, comes from fractures. Fractures to the wrist and arm, while impacting your daily activities, will hopefully be resolvable, but fractures to weight-bearing joints like the hip, can have very serious consequences including permanent disability, loss of independence.  Even falls that do not lead to injury can have a negative effect on older adults, often impacting self-confidence.  After a fall, older people often limit their activity because they are afraid they will fall again.

ARE YOU AT RISK OF FALLING?

l More than 1/3 of people over the age of 65 have at least one fall each year l Sight and hearing difficulties, muscle weakness, and poor coordination can increase your risk l Diabetes and heart disease, or problems with your circulation, thyroid, or nervous system can impair your balance l Other common medical conditions that increase your risk of falling include arthritis, cataracts, or hip surgery.

Image credit: www.ginosphotos.com

“Anyone can fall, but some factors can make it more likely for you to fall.”

Additional risk factors for falls are: l If you have fallen before l Being fearful of falling, low self-confidence l Feeling weak, tired, forgetful l Feeling numbness or tingling in your feet l Difficulty walking or unsteady walking l Feeling light-headed, disoriented or dizzy l Being dehydrated and having poor nutrition l Using a cane or walker l Having anxiety or depression l Alcohol consumption l Taking medication

– Some medications can make you feel sleepy or dizzy, for example: pain medication, anti-histamines, sleeping pills, antidepressants, seizure medication, laxatives, and diuretics – Check with your doctor or carer to see what medication can be changed or carefully monitored to reduce your risk of falling – Medication that does make you sleepy or drowsy should be taken at night or when you are in bed or resting to avoid the need to move around and risk a fall.

Here are some useful videos which you may find helpful:  It is important the exercises are performed with good technique and postural control.  Make sure to repeat the same number of exercises on both sides

where applicable.

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