Reduce Your Risk of Falling Or Tripping

Hi, my name is David *** and I'm a physical therapist and clinic director at the Milwaukee- East Side clinic. I've been able to participate and work with senior citizens and help with fall prevention. One of the assisted devices you can use is the cane. It should be fit for your height, and should be level to your wrist. When you use it, you should always walk leading with the opposite leg. Rubber tips on the ends of canes and walkers should be checked periodically, and replaced when worn. When using a walker, it should be adjusted to your height, leveled to your wrist, and instead of walking out here with it, you should be inside the walker, elbows bent so it can withstand your support. The following exercises are going to help improve strength and balance to prevent falls. A common time for falls is from sitting to standing, and standing to sitting. When going to sitting, you want to stand in front of the chair, reach with your arms, and sit down slowly. To stand up, push with your arms, and stand up. To use it as an exercise, you would perform it ten to fifteen times. While watching TV, you can do it in between and watching commercials. The next balance exercise is side steps. You want to take a comfortable step ... the bigger the step you take, the more difficult it is. If you feel unsafe, you can put your hands on a counter top in the kitchen to improve your balance. The next balance exercise is heel-to-toe walking, bringing one foot in front of the other. If you need more balance, you can put your hand on the counter top in the kitchen. The next exercise is hip abduction. You can hold onto something for balance, and bring your leg out onto the side. Be sure not to lean out onto the side. You want to do this 10 to 15 repetitions. The next strength exercise is leg extensions, you're going to kick your leg straight, hold three to five seconds, then bring your leg down. It's going strengthen the front of your thigh. Your going to do 10 to 15 repetitions. The last two exercises are heel raises and toe raises. You want to hold onto something for balance when needed, and go up on your toes, then down slowly. You can do 10 to 15 repetitions, and then toe raises you go on your heels, toes up, and then down slowly. If you feel you are at risk for falling, or have a fear of falling, please contact ATI for a complimentary assessment.