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Mike Studer sets the scene in regard to the magnitude of falls in the United States, the causes and consequences of falls and prevention strategies to mitigate against fall risks.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov), each year, over 36 million falls are reported amongst people over 65 in the United States. About 1 out of every 5 of these falls causes an injury (fracturing a bone, enduring head trauma, or tearing a muscle). Over 3 million older adults are treated in emergency rooms across the US each year, due to a fall. Nearly 1 in 4 people that endure a fall with hip fracture do not survive to live 12 months after the fall and one half of all older adults hospitalized for hip fracture never regain their former level of function.
Cycle of inactivity: falls
In this figure, we see the effects of fear, inactivity, posture, and injury on the risk of future falls and injuries from these falls. This cycle can be interrupted through enhanced posture training, balance training, and strengthening.
Low Intensity Vibrations (LIV) offers a unique combination of enhancements to an older person’s risk profile, reducing their likelihood of falls. While some interventions address postural alignment, others improve balance, others strength, and still more can help people be less fearful, LIV offers the opportunity to address all in one – saving time and expense.
By providing a low intensity vibratory plate in standing, users experience a phenomenon known as “time under tension” which provides a stimulus for musculoskeletal strength and quality at the same time. This combination is efficient and can make all of the difference in the success of any outcome, as the LIV program respects and values time and resources, making it more likely that an individual will continue with the recommended dosage and achieve maximum gain.
Multifactorial fall and injury prevention
Many of the underlying causes for falls and injurious falls can be controlled if not reduced. Physical activity that is engaging and enjoyable to the person can come in the form of exercise, therapy, recreation or even vocation. Resource development and compensation can reduce fall risk (and injury risk) across all of the aspects of fitness: balance, strength/power, flexibility, cognition and endurance.
Fear of falling can be remediated through exposure based therapy, reduced through seeing successful improvements, staying active and associating movement with fun, play, or productivity.
Injurious Fall Risk and Protection
Related to but not caused by age include other risk factors for hip fracture such as lack of physical activity, osteoporosis, low body mass index, and a previous hip fracture.
If an individual is at high risk to endure a fall, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of injury and death. These include medical alert systems for a person to report their fall and receive prompt care, fall detection devices (monitoring the individual remotely), and hip protectors to reduce the risk of a hip fracture – one of the most common yet deadly injuries sustained from a fall.
