Have you noticed that your balance has started to deteriorate? If you’re an older American, you’re definitely not alone in noticing this.
The harsh reality is that the joints, muscles and other body structures that help us balance wear out over time. In part, this has a lot to do with why so many older Americans suffer falls. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 3 million older people are treated in emergency rooms annually for fall injuries.
Physical therapists can help you work on improving your balance. They can build you a customized physical therapy plan to help meet this goal, and such plans often contain therapeutic exercises for improving balance, like the:
- One-leg standing exercise
Purpose: This exercise is designed to help improve leg muscle strength and your ability to balance on one leg.
How to do the one-leg standing exercise:
- Stand up straight with one hand on a kitchen counter or the back of a stable chair.
- Shift all your weight to your slightly bent right leg.
- Lift your left foot off the floor.
- Hold this position for up to 30 seconds.
- Slowly lower your left foot back to the floor.
- Switch legs, and repeat the exercise steps to balance on your left leg.
- Continue to repeat the exercise until you’ve done it three to five times on each leg.
- Heel-to-toe standing exercise
Purpose: This exercise is intended to help you improve your balance when both your feet are close together.
How to do the heel-to-toe standing exercise:
- Stand with one hand on a stable chair back or kitchen counter.
- Place your right foot immediately in front of your left foot. Your right heel should be touching the toes of your left foot.
- Slowly lift your hand off the supporting surface, and balance in this position.
- Try to hold this position for at least 30 seconds.
- Take a brief break; then reverse the position of your feet.
- Hold this position for at least another 30 seconds.
- Try to complete four to six repetitions of this exercise.
Find out how to improve your balance with help from Panther PT
Are you ready to learn how to improve your balance? Our physical therapists at Panther Physical Therapy are primed to help you learn how to improve your ability to balance. We can do free screening on you to determine what is contributing to your balance difficulties. Next, our team can build you a physical therapy plan designed to increase your ability to balance. We can even work with patients with balance issues via an at-home care visit or a virtual therapy session.
Contact our team today for more information about how we can assist with your balance disorder or to schedule your initial appointment.