Low- Body Exercises Lessen Risk of Falling

Richard Seven

The Seattle Times

Fear of falling prompts many older people to move less, and that can be a fatal mistake. Inactivity will only increase the risk of future falls, say geriatric-medicine experts such as Dr. Elizabeth Phelan, of Harborview Medical Center’s Fall Prevention Clinic in Seattle. “People who have experienced an injury fall may tend to restrict their activity as a method of self- preservation, but actually that makes them more likely to develop muscle weakness, worse balance,” and these in turn then increase the likelihood of falling, she says. Exercise geared toward maintaining lower-body strength and balance has been shown to reduce the risk of falling, Phelan said. She tries to steer older adults away from relying on walkers, wheelchairs and motorized scooters, unless they absolutely can’t get around otherwise. Even a little activity is better than no activity, so if a person would never leave his room without a wheelchair, he needs a wheelchair. But dependence on such devices can speed loss of a person’s remaining strength and balance. Phelan often recommends tai chi and yoga for those advanced enough for that level of activity, but says pool workouts can be helpful for someone beginning a program who enjoys the pool and is properly supervised. Occupational therapist Jeanne Shepard teaches a pool class for lower-body strength and balance in the Seattle suburb of Shoreline. “The only way to really improve balance is to challenge it,” she says. In her small classes, people in their 60’s to 80’s lunge side to side within a shallow pool, essentially emulating falling and regaining their balance. At times during the one-hour class, they also pad about in the water, try to capture bobbing Nerf balls, balance on one leg and try to stay upright against turbulence.