Maintaining and improving balance is critical as you age to prevent falls. Aging can contribute to visual, vestibular, and muscular weakness issues that can negatively impact your ability to maintain balance and lead to a fall. Each year, nearly 25% of older adults fall. Physical therapists can play a critical role in preventing falls and improving balance, function, and strength in older adults through a personalized fall prevention balance training program. A balance training program for older adults has been shown to reduce the risk of falls by 23% and enhance older adults’ independence and mobility.

Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapy assistant and aquatic therapist Sue demonstrates several exercises you can do to improve your balance through exercising in our warm water therapeutic pool. Improving balance and stability is a key goal of aquatic therapy. Aquatic therapy utilizes the physical properties of water to help patients heal and regain strength, balance, and function without placing unnecessary pressure on healing joints in a safe environment.

Vertigo can dramatically affect your quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. Vertigo involves a false sense of motion, a sensation in which the individual feels that they or their environment is spinning even when sitting or standing still. Physical therapy can reduce and eliminate the symptoms of vertigo, assess and treat the underlying cause of vertigo, retrain the brain to adapt to vestibular dysfunctions and help individuals regain balance and coordination safely.

Vestibular dysfunction refers to an impairment of the structures of the inner ear that affects your balance and spatial orientation. When the vestibular system is not working properly, the brain does not receive correct information about head motion and movement from the vestibular nerves, which can result in dizziness, vertigo, lack of balance, spatial disorientation, and frequent falls. Vestibular dysfunction can be treated with vestibular rehabilitation therapy, which involves manual head maneuvers and progressive exercises to improve gaze and gait instability, reduce head motion-induced dizziness and fall risk, improve fitness, and enhance functional visual skills.

Mangiarelli Rehabilitation physical therapist Jen guides a senior patient through three balance training exercises. Maintaining and improving balance is critical as you age as good balance allows you to maintain a stable, upright position when standing, walking, and sitting and avoid injury from a fall. Physical therapists can help you improve your balance as you age and prevent falls through a customized exercise and balance training program.

On the blog, physical therapist Jen demonstrates several exercises to improve your balance. Balance is critical to your daily life, allowing you to walk, climb up and downstairs, and prevent falls. Good balance allows you to maintain a stable, upright position when standing, walking and sitting. Improving your balance has many benefits including increased body awareness, joint stability, coordination, posture, and athletic performance as well as reduced risk of injury and falling. Physical therapy can help you improve your balance safely and address underlying issues causing your balance problems.