Gait Assessments And Senior Balance Exercises

Try Senior Balance Exercises For Gait Problems

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

   More and more literature has come out of the medical community explaining how practicing senior balance exercises can improve balance and limit the potential of falls for older adults. Please see   http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now If available, it is always appropriate to have a medical evaluation before beginning an exercise program, including balance exercises. Doctors can examine the medical components of an aging individual's needs and physical therapists are trained to look specifically at balance aspects. On physical examination, patients should be evaluated for orthostatic hypotension, vision and hearing problems, and cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions. They should also be evaluated for joint deformity, swelling, instability, and limitations in range of motion involving the hips, knees, ankles, back, neck, arms, and feet. Posture should be examined, and footwear should be assessed for comfort, support, and stability. Physicians should look for focal neurologic deficits, and assess for muscle strength and tone, reflexes, sensation, proprioception, tremor, coordination, and cerebellar and vestibular function. Also, patients should have cognitive status evaluation and depression screening. Fear of falling can be assessed directly or using a validated questionnaire. Once a medical examination is complete, the patient can commence certain senior balance exercises to help enhance their balance abilities.

Senior Balance Exercises Enhance Stability

     After drawing from a comprehensive evaluation of physical and medical conditions, an aging person can initiate a series of senior balance exercises to advance their steadiness in the home and in the community. As an example, if an older individual is diagnosed with poor forward leaning posture, it is essential to teach them skills to properly align their body in an upright position, which will center their body weight in the middle of the base of support determined by the position of their feet. With an upright posture, the older adult is less likely to lean forwards and eventually lose their balance and fall forwards, injuring a wrist or shoulder.  Additionally, by learning to center their body weight in the middle of their feet they will also develop strong connections between the sensory receptors in their feet and the balance system in their brain, thereby heightening their overall stability. You can learn these stability techniques as well as specific senior balance exercises to follow in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    To learn the best balance exercises for better stability, get the Exercise For Balance DVD. The Exercise For Balance DVD is a wonderful educational tool to use at home or in a group setting. The Exercise For Balance DVD comes filled with excellent, step by step balance and strength exercises needed to enhance senior fitness and to perform basic activities like walking, standing, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like dancing and hiking. In the professionally filmed Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve balance, steadiness techniques and balance routines from a balance instructor--- 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

 Try your hand at the best balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/