Physiotherapy to Improve Balance
Citizens above the age of 65 often experience balance problems. This is due to muscle weakness, joint stiffness, and inner ear problems caused because of old age. Such problems can also be caused by medical diseases, Parkinson’s and brain or spinal injury. These problems force the elderly to adopt a sedentary lifestyle and the host of diseases that come with it.
Balance problems are mainly caused due to vision impairment, inner ear problems, disability, and lack of awareness of one’s body. Physiotherapy specializing in senior citizens plays an important role in diagnosing and resolving these problems so that the elderly can lead an active life again.
Finding the cause
Like any other medical condition a physiotherapist will perform certain tests to diagnose your physical condition. Unlike medical tests, these tests will be purely physical. The physiotherapist will put you through motion, strength, coordination, visual tracking, and balance tests to identify the cause of unbalance. He will also ask you detailed questions regarding your physical condition such as:
- How often do you experience balance problems?
- What are you doing when you experience balance problems?
- Is your balance worse at nighttime or in dark rooms?
- Does the room spin, or do you feel off-balance?
- How many times have you fallen in the past year?
- Have you suffered injuries from falling?
- Have you changed or limited your daily activities because of your balance problems?
- What medications do you take?
- Have you had a vision or ear check-up recently?
- Do you have difficulty with any daily activities?
- How much, and what kind of daily exercise do you get?
- Do you have any other medical conditions or problems?
- Are you under the care of a physician?
These routine checks help the physiotherapist identify the root of your problem.
Getting your balance back
Certain vision impairment can be solved by gaze stability training. However, severe cases can only be solved by an eye doctor (ophthalmologist). In every other case, balance problems can be solved simply by following a routine exercise regimen, prescribed by the physiotherapist. Inner ear problems can be cured by vestibular physiotherapy. Physical disability can be cured by following the exercise program recommended by the physiotherapist. Lack of awareness of body can be fixed by what is called proprioception. After the exercise regimen has been completed, these balance problems almost never return again.
Physiotherapists are more effective than medical doctors who implement complex surgical procedures to fix your problems. Getting surgery done at a senior age can have permanent consequences. If the surgery goes wrong it could worsen your condition. Can an elderly person really afford that?
InHome physical therapy, are a group of professional physiotherapists, who have brought their expertise to the elderly in Edmonton. Additionally, they bring their professional physiotherapy practice to the homes of their patients. Opt for the benefits of physiotherapy and leave the sedentary lifestyle behind!