Submitted by Dr. Penrose of Penrose Physical Therapy
Falls are the number 1 threat to seniors losing their independence. Dr. Penrose interviews an 83-year-old patient on her podcast. “Stay Healthy South Sound.” who had a fall and surgery, and went from using a walker to back to teaching water aerobics! Read on for the highlights so you can learn how she bounced back so well.
Falls are the leading cause of seniors losing their independence and mobility. Many times, falls can be prevented and some are just fluke accidents. In this summary of the interview of my 83-year-old patient, Beth, I hope you will work towards improving your balance and take the precautions suggested so you don’t encounter a fall. However, if you do have a fall hopefully you too can bounce back as well as Beth.
As Beth describes in the podcast, Beth was outside and the lighting was very bright. She went back inside and due to the change in lighting she didn’t see her in-law’s large dog, Bodie, lying there and she tripped over him and fell fracturing her kneecap. This was a fluke accident; however, be aware when you change from a bright-lighted area to a dimmer area as your eyes don’t always adjust fast enough. And be aware when your environment is different – in this case, an extra dog was in the house due to family visiting that Beth was not usually looking out for.
This started a long and hard journey of surgery and a leg brace using a walker for quite some time and then to a cane and now she walks without a cane and is back to water aerobics. Beth talks about how she really thought her progress would be a straight linear process forward without setbacks but was very grateful our team did explain to her that it is totally normal to have a few valleys along the way or little dips in progress provided the overall trend is forward. Expect a little turbulence on the journey – but overall progress. She is very grateful for Penrose PT and our approach of listening and adjusting the treatment when something didn’t “feel right” or she wasn’t quite ready for an exercise they would try a different version and work up to the harder version later. Beth loved seeing the progress and the encouragement along the way. If you can learn anything – exercise now so that you can bounce back faster in the event a fluke fall happens. Beth had been doing water aerobics for years so she had great mobility and strength to help her get back faster. She is so grateful she has stayed active and is back at the water aerobics again. She is telling all her friends in the pool how important it is in the event they have an injury they will get better with the foundation of strength and mobility that they are working on in the pool.
If you would like to listen to the full podcast go to Penrose Physical Therapy website and select Resources and Podcast and scroll to the episode recorded on October 25, 2023, on “Falls and Balance.” If you need help putting together an exercise program that works for you at your pace then we would be happy to help. Balance does not have to decline with age – that is a myth. If you don’t do anything to work the balance systems then it will come to be true.
Your balance depends on two things: your ability to sense your balance, and your ability to make corrections. Your three balance systems (vision, sensation, and inner ear) help you with that first task by providing your brain with a constant stream of input. When one or more of these systems start to decrease in speed or quality, this can have a very detrimental effect on your balance.
So how do you know if your 3 balance systems are working properly? You test them! And while some people might require some sophisticated testing, especially if the inner ear is involved, there are some really simple tests we use in the clinic to test each of the systems.
If you want your balance screened, we have a free workshop coming up on December 14, 2023.This will give you great information on your balance systems and your ability to make corrections. Your ability to make corrections depends on your leg strength, your ability to feel the ground and your ability to react to what is happening when one system is taken away, such as closing your eyes.
RSVP for our free balance workshop is required as we have limited slots on December 14, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Please call 360.456.1444 or email info@penrosept.com. Penrose Physical Therapy has an expert team ready to help you keep your independence and mobility. We were voted the number 1 Physical Therapy clinic in the South Sound in 2023 and we continue to work at an exceptional experience. Please visit the Penrose Physical Therapy website for more resources. We are located at 1445 Galaxy Drive Suite 301, Lacey, in the Harborstone Credit Union Building.
