We all stumble and fall at different points - I’m sure you’ve even tripped on your own feet before. While falls can happen at any stage in life, for older adults, falls can become much riskier. As we age, falls can cause a lot more damage, like broken hips and head injuries, and moving through your daily routine might require a higher level of caution. It’s essential to be mindful of your fall risk and all the factors that can contribute to it, but you should not let it keep you from doing the activities you love. A physical therapist can be a great person to help you modify your favorite activities or daily routine with safety in mind - we do this every day for our clients at EW Motion Therapy. But even if you decide our services do not fit your needs, you can still read on to learn when to start thinking about fall risk, the three categories of contributing factors, and how physical therapy can help.

Once you retire, it can be tempting to use your newfound free time to do absolutely nothing. While that is part of the reward of retirement and should be enjoyed, staying active as you age is vital. Whether you go on walks around your neighborhood or enjoy fitness classes at your local senior center, there are myriad ways for you to get in your daily exercise. But you may be more worried about fall risk, which is a valid concern for many older adults. So how do you stay active while staying safe?

The normal human aging process can raise many questions and concerns. While trying to stay active and ensure you have time to pursue your favorite activities, some changes are also occurring in your body. You may feel stiffer in the morning, experience more daily pain than usual, and even find more of your daily tasks harder. This could be due to normal aging and degeneration of your joints. But what is actually happening here? What does “normal” joint aging look like?

You might have heard about concussions in sports news, specifically within the NFL. Football players incur many head injuries due to the nature of their sport, and concussion protocols have been significantly improved in recent years to ensure players get the treatment they need as quickly as possible, including changes to helmet design. But football is not the only sport with a risk of head injuries - cheerleading, gymnastics, and many other sports have an inherent risk of concussions. You do not have to be an athlete to be at risk for a concussion; falls and car accidents can also cause them. So what do you do if you or someone you know gets a concussion? What is the treatment protocol?

If you’ve been to a zoo or watched a nature documentary, you’ve probably seen flamingos. Besides being a beautiful shade of pink, these birds are also known for their unusual resting position: they often stand balancing on one leg. There are a few theories about why they do this, including one study that showed it conserves body heat. But whatever reason they do it, it is a fun behavior for humans to try and imitate. Standing on one leg for a while is an interesting skill, but you may not realize it is necessary for healthy movement.

When a loved one has a stroke, a million questions go through your mind. Will they ever regain the skills they lost? What doctors will they need to see? And how can I provide the most support?

When someone has been diagnosed with MS (aka multiple sclerosis), if you are their caregiver, you probably have a lot of questions. How quickly will my loved one progress? How can I help them? And most importantly, what treatment options are available?

When someone has been diagnosed with ALS (aka Lou Gherig’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), if you are their caregiver, you probably have a lot of questions. How quickly will my loved one progress? How can I help them? And most importantly, what treatment options are available?

When you start experiencing nerve pain, numbness, or tingling, you probably have a lot of questions. You may start to wonder what is causing this issue and how it may affect your health down the road. If you go to your doctor for an appointment, they may diagnose you with some type of neuropathy. But what does this mean? What sort of treatment can you get to help your symptoms?

If you start to feel numbness or tingling in one of your extremities, you might attribute it to a temporary lack of circulation or your foot “falling asleep”. Usually, that uncomfortable “pins and needles” feeling goes away after a while, but what do you do if it stays for longer than a week? Prolonged numbness or tingling can be a sign of a more extensive problem – but how do you know for sure?