September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month, and FYZICAL is bringing the focus to this very important topic. According to the CDC, each year, more than 3 million people aged 65 or older are evaluated in emergency departments due to falls related to incidents.
Falls are not an inevitable result of aging. These are steps you can take to improve balance and decrease the chances of falling. It is never too early or too late to address the risk of falling.
Although common, falls can be dangerous and lead to many types of injuries. 1/10 falls results in an injury that causes a person to restrict activities.
FYZICAL Peoria brings balance and neurological rehab to the next level with specialized training and equipment for the treatment of dizziness and balance disorders. With a safety harness and overhead track system, patients can push themselves in activities that would normally provoke a fear of falling. A hallmark of our therapy process involves a unique system by Bertec. This equipment allows for Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP) and a controlled Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) experience.
CDP allows for evaluation of functional use of a person’s senses when trying to maintain balance in a falls risk environment. CDP consists of 3 subtests that evaluate which sensory systems a person is most reliant on, how quickly reflexes engage when the environment changes, and how quickly a person can learn a new strategy to maintain balance.
Our team compares your scores with age-related averages to determine if your CDP scores are appropriate for your age. The FYZICAL Peoria team then uses this information, to develop a tailored therapy plan for each patient.
The IVR capabilities of the Bertec allows for high level rehab exercises in simulated environments that could normally be a falls risk environment. A person with motion intolerance may benefit from a simulated grocery store experience or person with neuropathy may benefit from a visual display of how posture and weight barring are influencing overall balance.
Unsure of whether balance therapy is appropriate for you? Please fill out the below self-assessment quiz for guidance.
This self-assessment quiz can help determine if you or your loved one are at risk for a fall:
| I have fallen in the past year | Yes (2) | No |
| I use or have been advised to use a cane or walker | Yes (2) | No |
| I sometimes lose my balance while walking | Yes (1) | No |
| I worry about falling | Yes (1) | No |
| I use my arms to push myself up from a chair | Yes (1) | No |
| I sometimes have trouble stepping up onto a curb | Yes (1) | No |
| My body sways when standing stationary | Yes (1) | No |
| I take short narrow steps | Yes (1) | No |
| I stumble often or look at the ground when I walk. | Yes (1) | No |
| I frequently have to rush to the toilet. | Yes (1) | No |
| I have lost some feeling in one or both of my feet. | Yes (1) | No |
| My medication makes me feel light-headed or sleepy. | Yes (1) | No |
If you scored four points or more, protect yourself and schedule your fall risk evaluation today.
Contact FYZICAL Peoria today by visiting our website fyzical.com/peoria or calling (309) 589-5900 to Fight the Fall.
FYZICAL THERAPY & BALANCE CENTER – A DIVISION OF PEORIA EAR, NOSE & THROAT GROUP