Cancer Effects And Senior Balance Exercises

Senior Balance Exercises For Cancer Patients

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

   Medical researchers are finding that folks who have been diagnosed with cancer also suffer secondary effect of decreased balance, which can be helped by practicing certain senior balance exercises. Please see more information at   http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now To be specific, studying balance and mobility in older adults with cancer is important, given the evolution of cancer treatments in recent years. In the study, Persistent Mobility Disability After Neurotoxic Chemotherapy by Elizabeth Hile, et al, detailed that success of supplemental agents has reduced the incidence of dose-limiting hematologic toxicities such as infection and bleeding, allowing higher chemotherapy doses to be administered. As a result, subacute and more persistent side effects such as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) are on the rise. Much is known about the risks for and mechanisms behind chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy CIPN. Like diabetic polyneuropathy, CIPN tends to produce a distal, symmetrical axonopathy or neuronopathy. The result is most often a stocking and glove sensory loss that affects the lower extremities before the upper extremities. Although primarily sensory in nature, mixed sensorimotor (usually distal myopathy) and even autonomic neuropathies (including orthostatic intolerance) are possible, and any of these neuropathies could increase fall risk. In general, it appears that the majority of cancer patients continue to experience neurotoxic symptoms months after treatment, and these symptoms could be accompanied by long-term effects on mobility and balance. Weakness and disturbance of gait and balance have been described as motor characteristics of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Medical researchers suspect that older adults may experience greater functional decline than younger people who receive the same antineoplastic therapy and that they may have greater difficulty recovering from these deficits. Studies have shown that older adults are more likely to experience chemotherapy side effects, and chemotherapy doses often are reduced clinically, based on concern for comorbidities and declining organ function. As a result, older adults who are cancer patients are encouraged to perform senior balance exercises to help them improve their steadiness and minimize the impact of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

 

Senior Balance Exercises For Those with Neuropathy

    Cancer patients who are older and are experiencing a decline in the sensory perception in their feet and lower legs are encouraged to rehearse senior balance exercises to help them improve their steadiness and minimize their potential for a fall. Since most falls occur from an older adult losing their balance by moving their body center alignment out of the base of support of their feet, learning how to center and control weight shifting is essential. equilibrium exercises that focus on weight shifting can include standing with feet shoulder width apart and rocking forwards and backwards or side to side. That routine can be advanced by practicing it on a soft, unstable surface like a couch cushion or soft foam. in addition to rehearsing stability exercises, older adults also need to emphasize strength exercises, which also leads to better steadiness. in particular, it is critical to concentrate on strengthening the stability muscles like those in the calf (gastrocnemious) and those in the thighs (quadriceps). having strong leg muscles facilitates controlling the body's weight shifting as well as maximizing the balance reactions at the ankles. you can practice appropriate strength and balance exercises developed by a physical therapist by following along with the exercise for balance dvd at home or at the gym.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

Learn balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD[/caption]
    For those who have numbness in their feet, get started on a course of the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The healthcare provider recommended Balance DVD is a high quality instructional DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to understand and simple to follow Exercise For Balance DVD includes  a step by step series of the latest balance and strength exercises necessary to optimize senior fitness and to carry out basic daily activities like shopping, doing laundry,  walking, standing, cleaning house, stair climbing or to advance to more difficult pursuits like skiing, dancing, playing golf and hiking. In the  comprehensive Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, how to apply steadiness techniques and how to safely execute balance routines from a  qualified balance specialist --- licensed Physical Therapist---who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 25 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

Stand steady 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/