This icy, snowing, and sleeting days of winter bring upon some very serious dangers. The risk of falling can be very detrimental to many and extremely dangerous for the elderly. The chances of slipping and falling are more than doubled during these months. There are actions you can take to lessen your risk of injury during the snowy months.
When it is cold and icy out it is not only important to wear water resistant shoes to keep warm and dry, but also, keep you safe. The traction on the bottom of rubber boots is very important to keep you from slipping and falling. As opposed, to wearing shoes with little to no traction this is one of the most important measure to take to help your safety if staying home is not an option.
Be sure to know where you are stepping before exiting a car. If you don’t look where you’re about to step down, it could be extremely dangerous. Quickly stepping down on to a patch of ice could cause you to fall and potentially hit your head, and possibly break something. Only walk on pathways that have been cleanly shoveled and treated with sand or ice. Black ice is harder to see, so avoid any walkway that looks like it has not been treated. When you have to shovel make sure you have a path to walk so you don’t lose your balance.
Allow extra time to get where you need to be so to avoid rushing and and not paying attention to what you are walking on. These falls are injuries you most definitely want to avoid at all costs. So please take the right action to make sure that these incidents don’t happen to you.
How does physical therapy help prevent falls? As you grow older, your leg muscles begin to weaken and you will have more difficulty with balance and walking. Therefore, a physical therapist will help you assess your risk of falling. Your physical therapist will also help your home become less hazardous and safer by showing you secure procedures around your household. Furthermore, there are specific risk factors that your physical therapist can inform you on when it comes to falls. Certain things you do in your everyday routine may be risky, and your therapist will help you decrease your chances of falling by making you aware of them.
Additionally, during your physical therapy visits, your therapist will help you by creating individual exercise routines and balance and walking techniques that will reduce your risk of falling. Your balance and coordination with improve immediately upon entering physical therapist treatment. Your physical therapist will work with you as an individual and see how he can reduce your risk of falling by constructing a plan that is designed to benefit you personally. For some patients, it may just be balance issues, but for others, medication and certain medical conditions will alter your PT plan. Physical therapy is capable to fit everyone’s needs in order to help you live a safer, healthier and easier life.
We feel like we have the best physical therapists around. Did you know you don't need a referral to get help from a Physical Therapist? Direct access is available for you, please call us and set up an evaluation so we can help get you back on your feet. In Orange County we offer Physical Therapy in Chester, Goshen, Monroe, Port Jervis, and Montogmery. Westchester County has Physical Therapy in Armonk, Bedford, and Hawthorne. In Ulster County we offer Physical Therapy in Wallkill, while in Sullivan County you can get Physical Therapy in Ferndale. To round out our 12 locations in New York, those living in Rockland County can go to Physical Therapy in New City as well as Pomona. If you happen to live in PA, we also have Physical Therapy in Milford and Dingmans Ferry of Pike County. Give us a call today!
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