INDEX planning for later life BALANCE RIGHT GETTING THE Balance problems can have signifi cant physical and
psychological impacts on people’s lives and can occur at any time of life, although the incidence tends to increase with age
Words Amy Cakebread, Physiotherapist for Horder Healthcare
people falling twice or more a year and is the commonest cause of injury in the elderly. With these statistics, perhaps we all need to be more proactive in our approach to our balance and remember it is never too early or late to start. So, how does our body prevent us from falling over?
R When we move or hold any position,
we are continually adjusting our bodies to counteract gravitational forces, which prevents us from falling over. This adjustment comes from multiple sensory systems providing information to our brain about the position of our body in relation to the environment. Messages are then sent to our muscles and joints, to provide corrective action if required. The three main sources of these messages come from the eyes, ears and musculoskeletal system. • Eyes – what you look at helps your brain to determine your position and movement in relation to your environment. • Musculoskeletal system – receptors within your joints and muscles feed back the position of certain parts of your body. • Ears – play an important role in balance by sensing head movement. The inner ear contains narrow fl uid fi lled channels, which are lined by tiny hairs. When you move your head, the fl uid moves, which causes movement of the hairs and messages are sent to the brain about the position.
These three systems continually work together and anything that impairs their action will make balancing harder and increase the risk of falling. An example of this is if you try to stand with your feet together – it is harder than when they are
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eported rates of falls are 30% for those aged over 65 years and 40% for those over 75 years old, with more than 50% of these
apart. Now try to close your eyes or move your head quickly. You will notice that it is much harder and this is because you have increased the demand on several of these systems or limited them. There are many factors that infl uence our balance such as environment, medications, alcohol, certain illnesses, injury and age. Often it is several factors that co-exist to increase risk of losing your balance and this is regularly associated with age-related changes.
Balance gradually declines with age and is due to degenerative changes that occur throughout the body, such as muscle weakness, arthritis and reduction in nerve function. In addition to these changes, age-related diseases including blood pressure abnormalities, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, stroke, Parkinson’s and dementia, also have a negative impact on these systems and our balance.
Can I do anything to improve my balance? It is important to remember that it is normal for balance to decline with age, but you can slow this decline by remaining active and having good muscle tone. The recommended guideline is 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity in bouts of at least 10 minutes per week. One way to tell if you are exercising at moderate intensity is if you can still talk, but you are not able to sing the words. Activity should include a mix of aerobic and strengthening activities. There are simple exercises that you can
do to specifi cally improve your balance at home. Ensure that you are close to a stable surface that you can hold onto if needed during any balance exercises for safety. Examples of some exercises are listed right:
• Balance on one leg for 30 seconds to two minutes, dependent on your ability. If this is easy then you can make it harder by standing on a cushion or turning your head. • Push up onto your toes and then down again, while holding onto something stable, such as a table. • Walk up and down a room placing the heel of one foot directly in front of your other foot like walking a tight rope.
If your balance is signifi cantly hindering your daily life, if you have dizziness or you have suffered two or more falls in a year then seek advice from your GP. You can also speak to a physiotherapist on the complex topic of balance or look for exercise classes that focus on balance training. Horder Healthcare Tunbridge Wells runs a range of exercises classes, including a balance and fl exibility class, yoga therapy, Pilates and fi tness for over 50s. • Information on these classes can be found on the website www.horderhealthcare.
co.uk. If you would like to speak to a physiotherapist to get further advice on this topic or any other musculoskeletal issue, contact Horder Healthcare by calling 01892 529059.
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