Guidance From Gurus

Dr. Daniel Davids, PT

As we get older our bodies move differently than they did years ago. There are so many reasons this could occur like injuries and arthritis, but most markedly we ourselves choose to limit certain motions. Let me dive in a bit deeper. When you were in elementary school, you took gym. In gym, you likely had a warm up to start class followed by some sport or activity followed by some cool down. The sport or activity usually changed every so often (monthly or quarterly) and you would have to participate in whatever Mr. Jones with his loud whistle decided to make you do.

Your body was trained to move forward, backwards, sideways, in circles, to jump, to duck, to get down to the floor, etc... you were a perfect machine or movement!

Somewhere along the line, you started to limit your own activity levels. You moved only forwards and went from sitting to standing. No more rolling around on the floor. No more sidestepping. No more sports. You became an adult. Unfortunately, this change sets off a series of events that leads to many many reasons you have aches and pains - but most importantly in this context, why your balance is worse and your fall risk increases. When we stand and no longer practice moving sideways, we lose the ability to maintain our balance moving sideways (think about an infant learning to walk). If we move sideways outside our base of support (that is, more widely than our feet are spread) we can very well lose our balance and fall, leading to a hip fracture, hip replacement, a long stay in a rehab and FURTHER LIMITING OUR MOVEMENTS.

The key is to keep moving, but if you’re not moving- start! I say the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today. If you know your walking leads you to feel unsteady and without confidence - you must take action before things get worse. If you do nothing, guaranteed nothing will ever change (for the positive anyway), if you make a point to take action, your health is in your hands.

Dr. Daniel Davids PT is the owner of The Traveling Physical Therapist, a Medicare-covered in-home practice serving seniors on Long Island. For more information, visit www.TheTravelingPT.com or call him at (646)733-4737