MAKE IT PERSONAL Getting Back on Your Feet After a Fall By Monique Acton As our population ages, it is not uncommon to know some- one who has been injured from a fall. This can leave some individuals with the fear of falling again, making them overly cautious in every move and activity. They hesitate instead of acting naturally to their body mechanics and walking pat- terns. Getting these individuals back on the right track, as soon as they are cleared to exercise, can help them regain confidence, as well as lower their risk of a repeat fall. What better place to work on this than in the water? My client, Katherine, came to me after a fall. She is 79 years old and in otherwise good health for her age. Her foot got caught in an extension cord and she fell backwards, land- ing on her tailbone. This is a common way to be injured; the National Council on Aging (NCOA) states that many falls occur due to narrow steps, slippery areas like floors and stairs, and throw rugs and cords. Katherine’s doctor told her she was lucky that she had only bruised her tailbone, things could have been much worse. She completed her therapy and was later released for regular exercise, which is where I came in. I began planning Katherine’s workout keeping in mind her goals: to improve balance, to prevent falls, and to improve muscular strength. A 45-minute workout seemed to be the best fit for Katherine’s time schedule. The program involved a warm-up (7 minutes), balance training / fall prevention activ- ities (15 minutes), strength training exercises (15 minutes), and flexibility/ stretching ( 8 minutes). Balance Training & Fall Prevention Activities Katherine performs the following activities in the water to challenge her balance. These activities not only help to improve balance, they also lower her risk of falling and help strengthen her core. The support of the water allows her 38 | Akwa | December 2017 / January 2018 to move without the fear of falling. And, since the water is always moving, even when Katherine pauses the water con- tinues to challenge her balance and her core muscles. 1. Favorite Drink Walk. I instruct Katherine to walk, trav- eling forward and backward, pretending that a glass of her favorite drink is balanced on her head. This helps her visualize holding her head high to prevent spilling the drink. Keeping the head lifted allows for proper body alignment and for the spine to be stacked. When the head drops forward, the weight of the head moves over the toes, so the person may feel as if they are going to fall. This exercise helps her practice proper body alignment. Getting these individuals back on the right track, as soon as they are cleared to exercise, can help them regain confidence, as well as lower their risk of a repeat fall. 2. Toes & Heels. Katherine walks on the balls of the feet and then walking on her heels; water shoes protect and cushion her feet, especially when doing this exercise. The first time, she travels forward on the balls of the feet, and then backwards on her heels. I cue her to stay tall when walking on her heels, as the tendency is for the body to lean forward from the hips. The second time, the pattern is reversed so forward travel is now on the heels and backwards travel is on the toes. The third time, I cue Katherine to step forward on the tip-toes of the right foot, forward on tip-toes of the left foot, exercise leads to loss
