How to Know If You’re Making Your Balance Issue WORSE!
Right after the snow week in Texas mid-February, I got so many calls about one specific issue- balance. Not long after the snow melted our clinic got several calls from people saying that either them or a parent had taken a slip or a fall on the ice, and it brought to light just how unstable and unbalanced they really were. Luckily, out of all of those people, only one person went to the hospital for a minor injury, but they actually signed up for physical therapy with us to fix their ankle AND balance problems! Just because you haven’t fallen recently doesn’t mean you won’t eventually. When I say this, I’m not trying to scare anyone, I’m just trying to tell you what I know; I speak from years of experience treating hundreds of balance patients- waiting for balance to get better is like waiting for pigs to fly, it’s just not going to happen. Balance issues don’t just “go away”.
Maybe you’re doing something, or several things, that are making your balance worse… Over the years, I’ve found seven things that people are doing that make their balance issues worse, and I want to share that with you today. Hopefully you understand more after what it is that you’re doing that’s making your balance issue worse, and how Natural Fit Therapy could possibly help you get back to a healthy, active and independent life again!
1. Never getting help/being complacent: No one can help you if you don’t help yourself! People don’t get help for so many reasons (I.e., money, embarrassment, time stress, etc.) but the truth is that if you really look, you’ll always find a reason to not address your balance issue. Don’t wait! You just have to take it step by step, and step one is to simply ask for help!
2. Giving up too soon: Maybe someone has already started therapy or exercises, but they just give up before they actually see results. Balance isn’t a quick fix; it takes time and effort, but you have to trust the system! We’ve never had anyone at our clinic say their balance has gotten worse, only better. If you’re looking to fix your balance in mere weeks, you need to re-manage your expectations.
3. Not doing the right kind of balance exercises: I have said so many times that I will never just “hand out” balance exercises to people, because you could put people at a higher risk of them getting injured. It’s important you speak to a licensed therapist that knows and has worked with balance and fall prevention before you do any exercises! They can craft exercises unique to your case, that way you not only don’t injure yourself, but you actually get results! Generalized exercise classes on YouTube or out of a magazine may not even help with your balance problem or make it worse!
4. Lack of accountability: This is a big one. It’s hard for people to follow through on something by themselves. We get lazy, or we forget, and before we know it, we’ve completely blown our goal we set, and every failure makes it harder to try again. Having someone there to give you the correct exercises and keep you to your goals is so important!
5. Waiting until it’s too late: Unfortunately, we’ve gotten many calls from people over the years where someone has taken a bad fall because they have never tried to do anything about their balance problem, and they bitterly regret it. Don’t wait on your balance issue. Like I’ve said, it’ll only get worse.
6. Pain/injury: A lot of people that pass the two-week mark after their injury or pain starts will wait a lot longer to get help. Sometimes people are embarrassed by their injury or think that they can just wait until it “gets better”. Again, it won’t. Right after an injury (or preferably before you even have one) is when you need to get help. If you don’t the problems will compound and you’ll be facing possible dangerous, expensive surgery, and be waiting around for the next time you take a fall.
7. Not working with experts who specialize in working with older adults: If you go to a physical therapist that specializes in sports injuries for mainly the 20-40 age range, do you really think they’re going to have the experience that someone who works with 60 + with balance issues has? Make sure that you’re going to the right therapist for you. We’ve worked with people so many times that have said they’ve done physical therapy before but didn’t have a good experience with it. You have to make sure that you’re going to the right therapist for you, not just the one that’s the cheapest, or the closest to your house, etc. Finding a therapist that really cares about why you want to get better just as much as how you’re going to get better is important.
Are you or a loved one struggling with balance issues?
Are you losing strength and not sure what to do about it, where to turn?
We offer a free tips booklet on balance, and we’re offering a FREE copy!
“7 Ways to Improve Your Balance and Prevent Another Fall.”
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