Balance exercises help to protect you from falling
BY DR. KOMOROFF Universal Uclick
Friday, January 11, 2013
1/11/13 at 4:52 AM
Dear Doctor K: I'm 70 and regularly do cardiovascular and weight-training exercises. Now my doctor wants me to add balance exercises. Why?
Dear Reader: Every year, one in three adults 65 or older falls at least once. Especially in older people, falls can be serious. More than 90 percent of hip fractures result from falls. Falls also often lead to fractures of the spine, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm and hand. These injuries can undermine your independence. Hip fractures, in particular, also can increase the risk for early death.
Balance is the ability to distribute your weight in a way that enables you to hold a steady position or move at will without falling.
Our daily balancing act requires multiple different body systems to be constantly working together. These include the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), the vestibular system (brain and inner ear), the visual system (brain and eye) and a vast web of position-sensing nerves. Muscles and bones are pressed into service, as well.
Balance is like muscle strength: The more you use it, the less likely you are to lose it. Worse, it can become a vicious circle. You feel a little unsteady, so you curtail certain activities. If you're inactive, you're not challenging your balance systems or using your muscles. As a result, both balance and strength suffer. Simple acts, such as strolling through a grocery store or rising from a chair, become trickier. That shakes your confidence, so you become less active ... and so the vicious circle continues.
I've put some beginner balance-training exercises on my website, tulsaworld.com/DrK They are a good first step toward improving shaky balance and can be done by people of many ages and abilities, including those who are elderly or frail. As your balance improves, you can add challenges to make your balance training progressively harder. For example, try an exercise standing on one leg instead of two.
Write Dr. K at www.AskDoctorK.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut, Kansas City, MO 64106
Associated Images:
|
