 September is Fall Prevention Month — a crucial time to raise awareness about one of the leading causes of injury in older adults. Every year, 1 in 4 people over age 65 experiences a fall, and unfortunately, 1 in 5 of those falls results in serious injuries like broken bones or head trauma.
While falls are common in older adults, they are not an inevitable part of aging. Research shows that simple changes and targeted exercises can significantly reduce your risk of falling. Lower Body Strength is Critical Your legs are your foundation for stability. As we age, muscle mass naturally declines without regular resistance training, leading to lower body weakness and an increased risk of falls. Effective Lower Body Strengthening Activities:
Balance Training: Use It or Lose It Balance is like any other skill—it requires practice to maintain and improve. Challenging your balance with simple exercises can make a real difference in preventing falls. Simple Balance Exercises to Try Start with these basics, using a sturdy chair or counter for support if needed:
Creating a Safer Home Environment Many falls happen at home, but small environmental changes can make a huge difference in your safety.
Don’t Forget About Vision & Medications Your eyes and medications play a big role in balance too. Don’t overlook these important factors:
When to See a Physical Therapist If you’ve noticed more unsteadiness or have experienced a fall in the past, a physical therapist can help by:
Bottom Line: Falls are common but don’t have to be part of aging. By strengthening your legs, practicing balance, and making your home safer, you can reduce your risk and stay active. This Fall Prevention Month, take one small step toward better balance—you’ll be glad you did.
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 Active people of all types can benefit from the expertise of a physical therapist. Athletes, weekend warriors, and people who work in physically demanding jobs all need strength, mobility, coordination, and endurance. Physical therapists are experts in human movement that help active people stay that way.
Physical therapists can help with performance. They can break down the requirements of a specific physical task and then design a training program that will help people meet those demands. A program designed by a physical therapist will improve strength, flexibility, coordination, agility and speed. It will focus on improving areas where a person is weak while also further improving areas of strength. While looking at an athlete or active person’s strength, mobility, balance, and coordination to improve performance, they’ll also be looking to identify issues that could lead to injury. The plan created by a PT will include exercises or activities to specifically address these areas. A PT can also assess an existing training plan and help to identify areas that may that may lead to sprains, strains, or overtraining. No matter how much training and injury prevention someone does, injuries sometimes happen. Physical therapists have the knowledge and skills to help people recover from injuries faster. In cases of severe injuries, physical therapists help people recover from surgery. But in some cases, a physical therapist can help people with injuries avoid surgery in the first place. Physical Therapy is more than just a way to get back on your feet after an injury - it also helps people stay at the top of their game. Whether it’s an athlete, a dancer, or someone who wants to stay in shape, physical therapy can help reach performance goals. With the right exercises and treatments, physical therapists help people improve strength, flexibility, and endurance so they perform at their best while lowering injury risk.  A body in motion stays in motion. The best thing we can do for our bodies is….MOVE! Research supports that movement and exercise supports bone growth and joint health.¹ The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity with 2 days of muscle strengthening activity.² This can include anything from walking 30 minutes a day 5 days a week to weekly yard work .
Adult sports leagues can be a great way to not only relive the glory days, but to have fun with movement. Movement should be fun and enjoyable, however there are instances when injury can make movement unenjoyable. As our bodies age, our tendons become less elastic and are prone to a process called tendinosis.³ Tendinosis is the process of our tendons (the connective tissue connecting muscle to bone) weakening due to chronic overuse motions.³ The result can be pain and limited function. Weekend warriors can endure throwing injuries, low back pain, and even jaw pain from neck and facial injuries. If left untreated, these conditions can become chronic and cause movement avoidance, further contributing to the tendinosis process. Weakness and or movement limitations can contribute further to the issue. So, what’s the cure? Rehab! Tendons respond amazingly well to exercise correctly prescribed by a Physical Therapist.⁴ Physical therapy can also help with injury prevention. We can improve overall strength of the muscle and tendon to avoid throwing injuries, low back pain and even jaw pain. During the process of tendon healing and strengthening, we can provide pain relief through soft tissue mobilization, functional dry needling and other hands-on manual techniques. Weekend Warriors, if you are currently suffering from an injury or just want to become stronger to prevent injuries we can help! Author: Heidi Plotzke, PT, DPT Sources: 1. Carter MI, Hinton PS. Physical activity and bone health. Mo Med. 2014;111(1):59-64. 2. How much physical activity do adults need? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm. Published March 17, 2022. Accessed March 22, 2022. 3. Bass E. Tendinopathy: why the difference between tendinitis and tendinosis matters. Int J Ther Massage Bodywork. 2012;5(1):14-17. doi:10.3822/ijtmb.v5i1.153 4. Ian Burton, Aisling McCormack, The implementation of resistance training principles in exercise interventions for lower limb tendinopathy: A systematic review, Physical Therapy in Sport, Volume 50, 2021, Pages 97-113, |
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