Orthopedic Rehabilitation
Balance & Vestibular Therapy
Hand & Upper Extremity Therapy
Workers’ Comp & Auto Injuries
Fall Related Injuries
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed an algorithm that suggests assessment and multi-factorial intervention for those who have had two or more falls or one fall-related injury. Multi-factorial interventions should include:
- exercise, particularly balance, strength, and gait training
- vitamin D supplementation with or without calcium
- management of medications, especially psychoactive medications
- home environment modification
- management of postural hypotension, vision or tai chi. problems, foot problems, and footwear
FALL RISK FACTORS
- Approximately 60% of falls are the result of multiple factors.
- It is important for physicians to elicit a falls history because, in one study, only 36% of men and 50% of women who fell in the previous year talked to their physician about falls.
- A Cochrane review found that the number of fallers was reduced by 15% to 29% with group exercise containing multiple components, individual home-based exercise, or tai chi.
