We studied the REAL RISK FACTORS to falling. Get ideas here how to prepare yourself without causing pain. We all experience this some time in life but how do we ensure it doesn’t have a big effect on your body.
It seems that many people think that getting old is a risk factor. On the contrary!
Risk factors include:
■ Lower body weakness
■ Difficulties with gait and balance
■ Use of psychoactive medications
■ Postural dizziness
■ Poor vision
■ Problems with feet and/or shoes
■ Home hazards
I love that the World Health Organisation suggest:
‘home-based professionally prescribed exercise, to promote dynamic balance, muscle strengthening and walking [and] group programmes based on Tai Chi-type exercises or dynamic balance and strength training as well as floor coping strategies’.
For reference click here.
I love that we can do these three things to help prevent this (or at least prevent the repercussions of falling).
- Work at mobilising our feet – stretching calves on a phone book or walking outside on the grass is a start
- Strengthening our lower body – try getting up off the chair with ‘minimal’ use of arms and use your legs instead
- Spend some quiet time on uneven surfaces so your body is challenged by balance BEFORE you get into the situation where it must be challenged and you feel scared of falling.
Remember: Being scared of falling is more of a risk factor than getting old. Let’s change our perception and stop blaming age. It’s a choice. We’ll get older anyway but how would you like to age? Dynamically or statically?
In our Movement Class on July 6th, we practised falling onto soft surfaces and developed ways to make this less impactful – hmmm, is that grammatically correct? Anyway, ways to take away the impact loading on one or two joints in the body and spreading the load. There are so many joints and muscles ready to help you! We simply need to find them again and get them out of the garage and move them again. Did you know that ALL MUSCULAR TISSUE is adaptable no matter your age.
This video is NOT FOR PATIENTS WITH OSTEOPOROSIS OR ANY OTHER MEDICAL RISK FACTORS. Study the preparation but do not practise the falling!
You can learn heaps about how to prevent it.
Enjoy!