Balance: Use It Or Lose It
Balance Is Use It Or Lose It–Here’s How to Keep Using It!
Are you worried about falling and injuring yourself? Does limited mobility due to arthritis or another condition make you feel shaky? Balance challenges can certainly be difficult, but you do have options for improving and maintaining your overall balance and stability!
One of the things we do at Excel Physical Therapy is helping people work on the spatial awareness and muscular strength crucial in addressing balance challenges. This is especially true for people with a high risk of falling, where improved balance could save them a trip to the hospital.
Want to learn more about the importance of good balance? Call to schedule an appointment today.
Why Should I Work on My Balance At All?
The older you get, the more important good balance becomes. Falls are one of the biggest threats to adults 65 years or older, causing millions of hospitalizations and emergency room visits every year. A high fall risk can also impact your mobility, independence, and overall quality of life.
Poor balance can also contribute to a fear of falling, which causes problems in and of itself. People who are fearful of falling can struggle to perform daily tasks and are less likely to be physically active–which will only worsen balance challenges.
In fact, a good sense of balance has a radiating effect on your overall fitness regardless of your age, helping to improve your posture and overall movement. You’ll be better able to catch yourself if you stumble or trip, and you might notice improvements in other physical activities, like running or playing sports.
How Can I Maintain or Improve My Balance? Five Suggestions from Our Physical Therapists
- Go for a Walk: Sometimes, the best solutions are the simplest. Walking, especially on different terrain, helps your coordination and ability to react to changes or obstacles, crucial components of good balance, and it’s safe and effective for most people. That said, if you’re struggling with balance, it’s important to speak to your physical therapist first–you might benefit from initial balance training or using a mobility aid during your walks.
- Restore Your Mobility: Stiff or arthritic joints can negatively impact your balance. Our physical therapists can teach you how to restore or improve your mobility and guide you on a safe routine you can perform at home that targets your individual needs to ensure you are able to stay active.
- Target Your Core: If you’re really struggling with balance and instability, it may be time to focus on dedicated core exercises. Your core refers to the muscles that wrap around your spine–your back, hip, glute, and ab muscles. They keep your spine and hips stabilized, which in turn helps you keep your balance. Not sure where to start with core strengthening? Our physical therapists can show you which exercises will work best for you.
- Challenge Your Balance: As with any other aspect of fitness, spending time on dedicated balance training can help you see results. Your goal is to find exercises that challenge your sense of balance without putting you at risk of falling–again, this is something our PTs can help with.
- Assess Your Balance: If you want to get serious about improving your balance, schedule an appointment at Excel Physical Therapy to have your balance assessed by one of our experts. We’ll run several balance screens to help us pinpoint the exact reason for your balance challenges–it may even be something you didn’t expect, such as vertigo or other inner ear issues. With a balance assessment, we can help you target your treatment to suit your exact needs.
Afraid You’ll Lose Your Footing? We’ve Got Your Back
The physical therapists at Excel Physical Therapy are here to help address any balance concerns you may have. We specialize in comprehensive balance assessments that will help us understand what areas you need to work on to stay stable. For example…
- Dealing with persistent pain that makes walking difficult? We can guide you through a drug-free pain management program.
- Find most core exercises impossible? You’re not alone. Although activities like core planks have significant benefits, many beginners need to build up to them. We’ll show you core exercises that you can actually perform and ones that help your balance in particular.
- Not sure how to challenge your balance? We’ll guide you through a progress balance training program, measuring your progress and increasing intensity as you go.
Don’t miss out on the benefits of good balance. Call us to request your balance assessment today!
Find Relief Now – Schedule Your Free Consultation!
Ready for personalized care?
Come back to Excel Physical Therapy and book your session today!
Want to Improve Your Balance? Strengthen Your Hips
We’ve established that a strong core helps improve overall balance and stability. But you may not have known that your hip muscles are part of your core–and strengthening them is just as important as strengthening your back, obliques, and deep abdominals.
Several muscles wrap around and support your hip joint and help you perform several daily movements, like stepping to the side, getting out of bed, or standing on one leg. It should come as no surprise that if these muscles are weak, your functional balance can be impaired.
Fortunately, several simple exercises can help build hip strength. The team at Excel Physical Therapy can assess your current hip function and provide targeted exercises to address impairments.
While we recommend visiting us before starting a new exercise program, we wanted to share some of the exercises we use to improve hip strength so you know what to expect.
Three Ways to Strengthen Your Hips
Clamshells
Clamshells involve laying on your side with your legs and knees stacked on top of each other and bent at a forty-five-degree angle, then lifting your knee to create a “clamshell” shape with your legs.
Straight Leg Raise
Lie on your back with one leg resting straight on the floor and the other bent at the knee (with your foot flat on the ground). Raise your straight leg toward the ceiling, focusing on keeping your leg straight as you do so.
Bridge
Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Keep your arms at your sides and lift your hips toward the ceiling. Hold for a few seconds and then slowly lower yourself back to the start position.
These are just a few of the hip exercises we might suggest to help improve your balance and stability. Ready to get your personalized program? Schedule an appointment with Excel Physical Therapy today!
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Cranberry Jalapeño Dip
- 2 (8 ounce) packages fresh cranberries
- 6 medium fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 2 medium limes, juiced
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine cranberries, jalapeños, and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until blended, working in batches if necessary. Transfer to a large bowl.
Our Patients Get Great Results
“Hannah was understanding, patient and has a good sense of humor. She knows her stuff and would recommend her to anyone. I liked how she listened to my questions and concerns even though she has probably heard them all before! Thank you Hannah. You rock!”
– Barb K.
Gratitude Corner at Excel Physical Therapy
As we celebrate our 25th year in business and the opening of our Appleton clinic, we are thankful for our wonderful patients. We are blessed to have an amazing group of patients who have not only trusted us with their care but continue to recommend us to their family, friends, and neighbors. We appreciate you and are thankful for your continuous support. We hope the coming holiday season is filled with many special times with family and friends.
