Why Rebuilding Your Balance Is So Important After A Fall

Enduring a fall - especially in older age- can be dangerous or downright deadly. Now that you're on the path to recovery, your top priority may be getting back on your feet. In order to do so safely, it's important to make sure that you work on your balance with a physical therapist. Here's why it's integral to getting you back on your feet.

Balance's Role

Your ability to balance will play a huge role in whether or not you endure similar injuries in the future. Maintaining your balance as you age can be difficult, especially if your general physician has prescribed medications for you that affect your balance. Chances are when you experienced your initial fall that balance played a role in it, so you need to regain what you've lost both after the injury and before it.

After Recovery

The biggest problem you're likely to face with your balance right now is that you've spent time recovering. After a significant bone break in the hip or leg from a fall, most people are placed on bed rest in order for the bone to heal properly. This can allow the muscles in your legs, hips, knees, and even feet to atrophy, increasing the likelihood of you experiencing another significant fall in the near future.

Unfortunately, this problem likely means that you have worse balance now than you did before your fall. If you don't participate in physical therapy and work with your doctors, you could wind up in this situation all over again in the near future.

What to Do

Getting your balance back is far from impossible, especially with the help of a physical therapist who specializes in helping those who have experienced a major bone break.

Your physical therapist will work with you over the course of several weeks or even months depending on the severity of your injury and your current balance abilities. These therapy treatments will include exercises that you will be taught so that you can also do them at home. However, your physical therapist's first steps will likely be to gently rehabilitate the muscles in your legs so that you're strong enough to stand for long periods of time. This will also help with the bone healing process, as load-bearing activities will help to strengthen your bones by building new bone cells.

Going through this kind of injury can be tough for anyone, especially if you end up weaker by the time your bones have healed. Thankfully, just by working with an orthopedic rehab specialist you can get back the strength and balance that you need to navigate your day without getting hurt again.


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