ADL Balance Blog
Part 2: Five-Point Check of Balance Knowledge
In the previous post “The Business Case for Better Balance,” I wrote that the best practitioners of balance “are very knowledgeable, e.g., information experts, about balance.” In this post I will expand on 5 aspects of balance that you must master to be the best. Balance systems. Systems are comprised of inputs, process centers, and outputs. In […]
Part 1: The Business Case for Better Balance
Why should your facility be the best at treating balance problems? It can mean taking better care of your community. It can also mean additional referrals and revenue. Below is the business case for better balance programs. Our population of older adults is growing. By 2050 the population of older adults in the US will […]
4 Ways to Overload Balance Training
Based on principles of overloading, we know patients need to be challenged when exercising in order to make improvements. If exercises are too easy, there will be no positive training effects. Below is a list of 4 areas that can be manipulated to help overload balance exercises. Movement is arc of motion in which an […]
New Frontier in Balance Training: Upper Extremity Target Tasks
Balance is the ability to remain upright and steady in a given posture (standing, sitting, kneeling, etc.) without a significant reliance on postural strategies or arm support. Balance training has historically relied on unsteady surfaces, such as foam pads and rocker boards, to challenge balance. While these tools are effective in improving balance, they fall […]
3 Key Types of Standing Balance Exercises
By: Shane Haas, PT, MSIE, CPE Balance is the ability to remain steady on one’s feet without a significant reliance on postural strategies or external support. Postural strategies, also called balance strategies; include ankle, hip, reaching, stepping, and knee movements that adjust and counteract for disruptions in the body’s center of mass. Reliance on […]
How Patients Say Balance Exercises are Hard (Verbal and Non-Verbal)
We know, as therapists, that we need to challenge patients with exercises to help them get better. What we don’t know is exactly what the definition of “challenge” means when it comes to exercising balance. A recent study by Farlie et. al. (2015) looked at what patients say when training balance, and how these comments […]
3 Factors to Balance When Prescribing Balance Exercises
Prescribing exercises to improve balance can itself be a balancing act. Push too hard and your patient loses their balance too often and can feel insecure and discouraged with exercise. On the other hand, if you don’t push hard enough, your patient will not make significant improvements in steadiness and balance. Below are 3 points […]
Do You Care Enough About Preventing Falls?
The question of “Do you care enough about preventing falls?” is less about compassion, or our ability to emotionally care about patients. Rather it about how we provide care for patients that fall. Look only at the works, e.g. your treatments. If an outside party was to judge your efforts by looking only at your […]
5 Ways A Cloud Can Help You Prevent Falls
We know from research that falls are caused by a variety of reasons (balance, muscle weakness, poor vision, polypharmacy, bad shoes, low blood pressure, etc.). The challenge for most clinicians is keeping track of which reasons, or fall risks, are affecting which patients, and to what degree they can be used to make treatment decisions. […]