This week we had great fun in the clinic.
We held our “Better Balance and Less Falls” event for anyone who wanted to come along and put their balance to the test, and for anyone who has noticed they’re feeling a bit unsteady on their feet lately.
Here’s a picture from the event:
During the event we did a lot of fun activities like playing a game or two of ‘one-legged darts’, and the ‘can you walk in a straight line?’ test, to find out just how steady (or just how wobbly) everyone was on their feet.
And you’ll never guess what happened, out of the 8 people who came along, all of them said this…
“I didn’t realise my balance was THAT bad!…”
And it’s true! Most of us rarely realise we have a problem with our balance until it’s pointed out and made obvious to us.
Even though not all of us have superhuman balance like gymnasts and ice skaters, we need a certain level of balance to help us go about our daily activities without falling over and hurting ourselves.
So I wanted to share the most common signs and symptoms to look out for, when it comes to wobbly balance and an increased risk of falls…
One of the most common ones is ‘dizziness’.
Everyone has a dizzy spell now and then, but the word ‘dizziness’ may mean something different to different people.
For some people dizziness might be a fleeting sensation of spinning. While for others it feels intense and lasts a long time.
If you find yourself feeling as though the room is spinning around you…
If you feel as though you’re moving even when you’re sitting or standing still…
And if you feel lightheaded and experience faint spells frequently…
It’s a good sign you have a balance problem.
Another sign that a lot of people brush to the side as just a part of getting older, or sitting at a desk all day, is poor posture.
The muscles in your core and lower back work together to hold your spine and pelvis in place.
If these muscles are weak, your body will be unstable, and you won’t be able to stand steadily for more than a short period of time.
Instead, you’ll look slouched and slumped over, which in turn will strain your muscles.
And if because of poor posture you find yourself having to lean on things like the supermarket trolley, or the stair case to help you move around – there’s a good chance you need to work on your balance.
Low back pain is also a sign that your balance is slowly getting worse.
The back and core help support the body and keep you standing tall, but if the muscles are weak and your back isn’t straight, then your back will be in pain.
And believe it or not, low-back pain can be brought on by bad balance and a weak core.
In fact, all of them go hand in hand together!
Something else we hear a lot of our clients say, is that they have to rely on their husband or wife to help them get around the house. And because of that they even lack the confidence to leave the house incase they feel a bit unsteady and ‘slip’ over in front of people….
…Or worse, have no one there to help them get back up!
We even had one lady tell us at the event that she fell over in the supermarket a few days prior to coming along, and that she was embarrassed because she was alone and had no one there to help her, so she has to ask her husband to do the food shopping for her instead.
There’s lots of little signs that your balance is off, and although some are more extreme than others like falling over unexpectedly and feeling worried to leave the house…
Some are a lot more subtle, but if you notice and act on them quick, you can help lessen the risk of falls and get better balance in good time.
Everyone who arrived last week came not knowing how bad their balance really was until we helped them find out.
If you’d like to come to our balance and falls class, or, if you’re worried about someone you know falling over, call this number now and we’ll tell you when our next event is being held: 0800 043 8671
You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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