|
|||||||||||
 |
Conditions We Treat
Standing on Your OwnGood balance can mean the difference between depending on others and being independent
Connie Fehr shows Gladys Ferrara how yoga helps improve balance. Meet Gladys FerraraA few years ago, 76-year-old Gladys Ferrara of Allentown might not have been so enthusiastic about trying yoga and Tai Chi. After tumbling down a flight of cement steps back in 1959, she struggled for years with pain and balance problems. After the accident, she recalls, “I was in such agony. I slept for a whole year in a recliner. But they didn’t have MRIs then, so nothing showed up on exams.” Years later, she learned that she’d probably fractured her neck. Meanwhile, the pain continued and she began to feel numbness in her hands and legs. Finally, in 1984, Ferrara went through the first of several neck and spine surgeries that brought her some long-overdue relief. Five years ago she fell again, fracturing her pelvis. Although no surgery was required this time, the accident left her unsteady on her feet. When Ferrara learned about Lehigh Valley Hospital’s balance-building physical therapy program, she eagerly signed up. “That program did wonders for me,” she says. “I’m steadier and more confident.” She enjoyed the opportunity to try yoga and Tai Chi as our Healthy You “model,” and plans to include Tai Chi in her daily routine. “It was easier for me than yoga because I have limited mobility in my arms,” she says.“But I can see how they both help with balance.” 
Tai Chi helps too--Gladys Ferrara practices the slow, controlled movements taught by Tai Chi instructor Michael Angelone.  “People who’ve fallen tend to become more dependent and avoid activities for fear they may fall again,” says geriatrician Gene Ginsberg, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Their fears are not unfounded. “Half the people who fall and break a hip die from the injury or end up in a nursing home,” he says. The answer is not to avoid falls through inactivity, but to prevent falls through better balance. And the key to that is staying active. People who exercise—those who are out golfing, walking, dancing and taking the stairs instead of the elevator—are the ones who have good balance throughout their lives. “When I talk to 80- and 90-year-olds with good posture and balance,” Ginsberg says, “I invariably find they’ve remained active.” So if you have good balance and want to keep it that way, keep moving! And if you’re unsteady on your feet? First, see your doctor for an evaluation to find out exactly what’s going on. He or she may refer you to physical therapy to help you work on your balance in a safe environment. “To retrain your balance, you can’t be holding onto something. You need to feel yourself tip and recover,” says physical therapist Jolene Hammer of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. In physical therapy you can push yourself beyond your comfort level without fear of falling and getting hurt. The exercises, designed to get the different parts of your body working together, mimic normal activities such as walking and stepping over things. The difficulty of the exercises isn’t as important as doing them faithfully. “Your body relearns balance by repetition, so just like anything else, you have to practice,” Hammer says. If you don’t need physical therapy, Tai Chi and yoga can help make you steadier on your feet. In one study, Ginsberg says, a 15-week program of Tai Chi reduced the risk for falls by 48 percent. “The focus on breathing, posture, alignment and slow, flowing movements lends itself to strengthening balance,” says Tai Chi instructor Michael Angelone. Yoga focuses on breathing and alignment through a series of poses. “It’s easy for people to make it part of their lives because it doesn’t take an all-out, sweaty effort like many other exercises,” says Connie Fehr, yoga instructor with Healthy You programs. Fehr and Angelone agree that Tai Chi and yoga are best learned from qualified instructors. “For some people, I have to physically move an arm or leg to show them how a pose should feel,” Fehr says. “Others need help modifying a pose or using a prop to make it easier. You don’t get that in videos.” Once you’ve mastered the techniques, they say, you can practice on your own if you prefer. An average yoga or Tai Chi workout takes about 30 minutes a day. If you can’t manage that, practicing for even a few minutes daily is better than doing a long workout one day and skipping several days. With both practices, do only what you’re able to. “In Tai Chi, you always start with a bow to yourself,” Angelone says. “That’s to show that you know your range of motion and limitations, and you respect them.” Check Your MedicationsIf you’re having balance problems and are on medication, talk to your doctor. Changing the dose or switching to another drug may solve your problem.Common culprits include:
Want to Know More? For a previous Healthy You story on how to fall-proof your home, call 610-402-CARE or click here to download. This page last updated 3/30/08 08:34 PM
ARTICLE TOOLS:
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
||||||
