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A top fear named by senior citizens is fear of falling. It often begins a downward spiral
from injury to hospitalization, even death. "Balance is so important because it's part
of our every day life. Every movement that we make necessitates good balance, to prevent
falls, but also for someone to feel confident," says Nathalie Grondin, physical therapist
with Lee Memorial Health System. Finding a source of instability takes detective
work. Entry-level balance tests determine whether someone has a weakness, but doesn't
pinpoint the underlying cause. Important when it comes to treatment.
"We do tests where we're looking at a person's eye movements to determine if there are any
abnormal eye movements that can indicate if a person has a problem with the inner ear.
We look at strength to see if there are any lower extremity or leg weakness. We look at
sensation, we look at reflexes," says Dawn Root, physical therapist with Lee Memorial
Health System. To truly look at balance, therapists are going
high-tech. using both standing simulators, and sit-down sensory tests which focus on
vision. "The dynamic visual acuity test looks at how
well the patients can stabilize their eyes on our target with their head moving," says
Root. Sounds easy, but it can be difficult to follow.
I know, because I tried it. "What this test is testing for is how well
your eyes stabilize the target, which is a normal function of the inner ear," says Root.
The inner ear is home to the vestibular system. It collects information and coordinates vision
with movement. Abnormalities can be helped with physical therapy.
"We can make tremendous improvements on balance depending upon what factors are causing their
unsteadiness," says Root. "As we get older people think that having
balance problems and falling is normal. It is not normal and not acceptable, says Grondin.
By focusing on balance, patients can see real improvements in their own standing.