Balance and fall prevention therapy in Carmel, Indiana

Balance and fall prevention therapy trains the three things that keep you upright: leg and hip strength, the quality of your walking, and your ability to recover when something tips you off center. Balance is a skill that responds to practice at any age. The work is simply chosen more carefully and supervised more closely than general exercise.

The CDC describes falls as a leading cause of injury among adults 65 and older, and it also stresses that falling is not an inevitable part of aging. Many of the contributors can be changed, including weak legs, a slow or shuffling gait, stiff ankles, poor footwear and the fear of falling itself, which leads people to move less and lose more strength.

• Leg strength, often with a timed sit-to-stand test from a chair or bench
• Walking speed, step length and how you turn
• Standing balance with feet together, in a stride stance and on one leg
• Ankle and hip mobility, and sensation in your feet
• Your fall history, footwear, and the places at home where you feel least steady

Most fall prevention programs run for roughly 8 to 12 weeks, because strength and balance take that long to change in a lasting way, though the length varies with your starting point and your health. Visits are often once or twice a week, supported by a short daily home routine that is matched to what you can do safely on your own.

Getting up from the floor deserves a special mention. Many people who fall are not badly hurt but cannot get up, and practicing a reliable method in a safe setting takes away a large part of the fear. Indiana winters add their own hazard, so before the cold season your therapist also works on strategies for ice, wet entryways and bulky boots, such as shorter steps and planning where your hands can go.

1. Assessment: baseline tests of strength, walking and balance, plus a talk about your fall history and goals.
2. Foundation: leg and hip strengthening and steady standing balance with support close by.
3. Challenge: moving balance, turning, stepping and dual-task practice with less hand support.
4. Real life: curbs, uneven ground, carrying loads, and getting down to and up from the floor.
5. Re-test and maintain: repeat the baseline tests and set a long-term exercise plan.

Balance problems rarely travel alone, so this program connects to the other care described on this site. Arthritic knees and hips, an old ankle injury or a recent joint replacement often sit underneath unsteadiness, and your therapist can treat them in the same plan through orthopedic physical therapy or post-surgical rehabilitation. The page on physical therapy for arthritis explains how joint pain and strength interact.

Strength fades if it is not used, so the end of therapy should not be the end of training. Some people carry on at the same address with an independent FlexWerk coach, working from a written plan supplied by their therapist. A coach is a personal trainer and not a clinician, and the job at that stage is safe, progressive strength work that holds on to what therapy built.

If you are covered by Medicare, its rules require a physician or qualified provider to certify the plan of care. Before you book, the matching team checks which therapists in the network work with your plan, and the therapist’s office confirms your benefits. See cost and insurance for how that works. To get started, you or a family member can complete the online assessment and choose balance as the area of concern.