Falls are a major risk for seniors. Every year in the United States, one of every three adults over the age of 65 will fall. In about 10 percent of those falls, serious injury will occur. Hip injury is among the most common, with about a quarter of a million hip fractures occurring in seniors annually. Many of those falls are caused by weakness in the leg, hip and core muscles of the body, which impairs balance and stability while standing or walking. In such cases, balance exercises can significantly reduce the risk of falls, increasing safety and independence.
Poor Balance Can Have Serious Consequences
Serious injuries can happen with falls no matter your age, but the consequences can be much more severe in seniors than in younger fall victims. That's because bones weaken with age, as age-related bone loss reduces bone mass and density. In seniors affected by osteoporosis, bone loss has accelerated to the point that bones are fragile, making even a relatively minor fall a hazard for fractures of the spine or hip. Adding poor balance to that equation is a recipe for disaster, making serious, debilitating hip injury much more likely. Hip fractures almost always mean surgery — either surgical repair of the broken bones or hip replacement. Surgery is always traumatic for the body and can be even more so coming right on the heels of a serious fall, and recovering from hip surgery is often a long and difficult process. There is always some risk of hip replacement complications, and while it is typically a very safe and effective procedure, hip replacement has been particularity problematic for some patients lately due to issues with faulty hip implants. Several hip replacement systems have been recalled due to early implant failures and high rates of serious complications. The Stryker Rejuvenate hip implant system was the subject of the latest recall, removed from the market by its manufacturer due to corrosion problems that caused implant failures and metallosis in some patients. Metallosis is a serious inflammatory condition triggered by the accumulation of metallic implant debris in the soft tissues of the hip and can cause pain, swelling, tissue death and bone loss. Addressing balance and stability issues can help prevent hip injury and the complications that can come with hip surgery.
Balance Exercise
First, it is important to get approval from your doctor before starting any exercise plan, and if your footing is very shaky, seeking the assistance of a physical therapist is wise to prevent falls and hip injury. Most often, balance problems are caused by weakness in the leg and hip muscles, so the focus should be on lower-body exercise. If exercising at home, begin with support, holding onto a very stable chair or table. Marching in place, lifting the knees as high as possible, is good for increasing strength and balance, as is standing on one foot and holding that position for 10 seconds, then repeating with the other foot. Often, exercise programs targeting balance issues are offered at senior centers and can be a very good resource for learning safer and more effective exercise techniques. Elizabeth Carrollton writes about defective medical devices and dangerous drugs for Drugwatch.com. To learn the best balance exercises for balance training at home, get the Exercise For Balance DVD. TheExercise For Balance DVD is the perfect Balance DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The Exercise For Balance DVD is loaded with the best balance exercises and strength exercises needed to enhance fitness and to perform basic activities like walking, standing, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like dancing and hiking. In the Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve balance, balance techniques and balance routines from a balance trainer (licensed Physical Therapist) who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 20 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button
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