Knee Osteoarthritis And Senior Balance Exercises

Senior Balance Exercises Aid Those With Arthritis

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

    Senior balance exercises  can be helpful for older adults, especially those who suffer with osteoarthritis in the knees. Please see   http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive loss of articular cartilage, subchondral bone sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and synovial inflammation. In the USA, an estimated 27 million adults have clinical osteoarthritis. The knee joint is most commonly involved in lower extremity osteoarthritis. According to the 1991–94 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 12.1% of Americans aged 60 years above have symptomatic radiographic osteoarthritis of the knee. Knee pain is present in 31% of men and women aged 65 years and above in Hong Kong, and the presence of knee pain is associated with greater functional impairment and adverse psychological effects. Falls in older people can result in physical injuries such as bony fractures and subdural haematoma, as well as the psychological consequences of fear of falling and depression. Fear of falling is associated with reduced functional status, reduced quality of life (QoL) and increased institutionalization rate. Numerous risk factors have been reported for falls in older people that include muscular weakness, medications, cognitive decline, cardiovascular disorders, stroke disease, visual impairment and environmental factors. Additionally, stiffness at the joints in the knees, hips and ankles can also lead to a greater incidence of falling. Consequently, healthcare professionals like Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists recommend that those individuals in the aging population partake in a daily regime of senior balance exercises to boost their balance abilities and reduce their risk for falling.

Daily Senior Balance Exercises Improve Steadiness

   A daily routine of senior balance exercises have been found to be effective to enhance overall steadiness and minimize the potential of a fall. Equilibrium routines can be a simple as standing with one foot directly in front of the other foot in a tandem position. In this tandem stance position, the ankle and feet joints and muscles with be activated to maintain an upright position. As a result, the person's balance abilities will improve and their risk for falling will decrease. You can find this senior balance exercise and a step by step progression of other equilibrium exercises in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    For those with knee arthritis or stiffness at other joints, please begin the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The professionally filmed Exercise For Balance DVD is a wonderful instructional  DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to follow Exercise For Balance DVD comes filled  with the best 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 playing bocce ball, dancing and hiking. In the step by step Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve balance, specific stability 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

   Get your arthritic joints moving by starting 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/