"Why Does My Wife Keep Falling Over?" - Paul Gough Physio Rooms

Sticking to a healthy diet doesnt mean you have to avoid dining out and say no to plans......You CAN have your cake and it it too. 4

A gentleman called the clinic the other day with growing concerns about his wife, and asked us this:

“Why does my wife keep falling over?…”

He continued to tell us that his wife, Linda, 71, generally has good health, but lately she’s been having difficulty controlling her balance and loses confidence every time she falls – so much so, that she’s scared to leave the house without him, or their Daughter by her side, just incase she falls over and there’s no one there to help her get back up.

Losing your balance can be a scary thing.

And it’s something we hear people worrying about all the time.

It’s not uncommon that as we get older we begin to feel unsteady on our feet.

People have told us that when they’re out doing their weekly food shop they have to rely on the supermarket trolley to keep them on their feet, or lean on a loved one to help them get around safely…

That a fear of falling spoils their confidence to leave the house alone, or even get up and move around the house independently.

It’s a worrying thing the happens. And most of the time, people don’t understand why it’s happening to them all of a sudden.

So why is it that falls are one of the main causes
of accidents and injuries in people aged 65+?

Here’s just some of the reasons why falling can become more of an issue as we get older…

Poor eyesight, and difficulties with hearing properly are one of the most common changes that come with ageing.

Any issues with hearing and eyesight will make you feel unsteady.

Let me explain…

The inner ear has five, hair-like sensors that manage your balance – three that help you rotate and two that help you make up and down motions.

As we get older, sometimes these sensors begin to not work as well as they used to, not sending the right signals to your brain to help keep you on your feet, meaning your balance will suffer.

Same goes for the eyes – if you can’t see clearly, if things are a little blurry and distorted, your brain will struggle to help keep you feeling centred.

So deteriorating eyesight and hearing are big factors to why someone might begin to experience falls.

Another big factor is weak, and in-active muscles.

As we age, our muscles become weaker (if we don’t do exercises and keep active to keep them strong).

And weak muscles mean it becomes difficult to support the body and keep up right.

This can lead to poor posture. If your body isn’t aligned properly, and your muscles can’t control your alignment, quick movements and moving around can throw you off balance and lead to more falls.

Another big factor we see is medications messing with the body.

Dizziness and loss of balance are sometimes included in that long list of side effects that come with medications.

If your medication makes you drowsy, then your reaction time will be affected, meaning you won’t be able to balance properly because of sudden disturbances.

If you’re on multiple medications and drowsiness is a side-affect, this could be a reason why you feel dizzy each time you get up, or find it difficult to stay steady when you’re on your feet.

Even your environment can have a big impact on how you move around day-to-day.

It’s not uncommon that we’ve heard of people who have tripped over a rug, fallen when walking down or up the stairs, or even lost their balance when trying to get out the bath or the car.

So if you have loose carpets, rugs that are easy to trip over, nothing to hold onto around the house – especially when using the stairs or no handle to hold onto when getting out of the bath or shower – changing a few things in your home could help you fall less often, and help you to feel more confident around your home.

Obviously, I can’t put it down to ‘one’ thing without knowing more about you, how you’re struggling with keeping steady on your feet and your situation…

But what I can do is tell you this – that if you find yourself worried about falling over, or if you’ve noticed a loved one leaning over more than usual and falling down more often…

It’s completely normal.

And we have something to help you, and a loved one understand more about it and get back to living life more confidently, without losing your independence.

Announcing –
‘Better Balance and Less Falls Event’

Because so many people are suffering with balance and falls problems – we have introduced Educational Classes to help people frustrated by this problem…

Our top Balance and Falls specialist, each month, will be hosting an event free for you to come along with a loved one at the Paul Gough Physio Rooms, to help show you a way to get back to living the life on your feet, and find out more about why you’re feeling more ‘unsteady’ or ‘dizzy’, than normal.

If this sounds like you, or if you’re worried about someone you know falling – give us a call on 01429 866771 and we’ll tell you when our next ‘Better Balance and Less Falls Event’ is being held, and how we can help you.

Don’t let a fear of falling get in the way of living life independently.

About
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Paul Gough

Paul Gough is an internationally known Physio and Founder of The North East’s Leading Specialist Private Physiotherapy Practice for People in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, who want to keep healthy and active.

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.