This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Kenneth Miller about improving balance and strength in the older adult years. Dr. Miller is a Geriatric Clinical Specialist in Physical Therapy and he’s Director of Geriatric Physical Therapy Residency at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Improving balance and strength is crucial for older adults to maintain independence and prevent falls. Doctor Kenneth Miller is here to talk about the details. Doctor Miller is a geriatric clinical specialist in physical therapy, and he's the Director of Geriatric Physical Therapy Residency at MUSC. Doctor Miller, you work with older adults on a regular basis. From your perspective, why is it so important for older adults to really keep up with activities and exercises aimed at improving balance and strength?
Dr. Miller: The whole idea of improving balance and strength, along with power and gait, are to help older adults stay living independently in their community.
Conner: Is it the case that as we get older, we really need to devote some time and energy to these physical skills.
Dr. Miller: We do know that there are age related changes, so the muscles do get weaker over time, which is a normal age related process. What we also know is most older adults have enough reserve that those age related changes don't impact independence until much later in life. But to minimize that risk, it's important that we stay active throughout our whole lives. Some simple things to do are to park at the back of a parking lot rather than very close. Take the stairs rather than escalator. Try to be physically active in all encounters to maintain and improve our strength.
Conner: And how common are balance issues in the older adult years?
Dr. Miller: So, balance issues are common with older adults. We know that up to a third of older adults have a greater risk of falling. And, that risk of falling can be reduced, if someone works on balance. Some simple things to work on balance is when you're taking care of yourself in the morning with your grooming activities, practice standing at the sink, standing on one leg. Another thing to work on balance is to be able to walk
sideways or to walk backwards. These are activities we do all the time, but being intentional about backward walking, sideward walking helps to improve our balance.
Conner: Tell us how you work on balance with patients in the clinic as a physical therapist.
Dr. Miller: What we do is look at the person's sensory system. So, vision is a big part of balance. So if someone has vision problems we want to address those. Also the inner ear it's called the vestibular system. That is a big part of our balance. And then lastly is what we're feeling in our feet and in our joints. And so, we check sensation. If there's problems with the sensory systems, then we try to work on strategies to improve those systems.
Conner: Are strength training exercises also needed when trying to improve balance.
Dr. Miller: Yes, strength is a big component of balance. We need strength, particularly in our legs, so that when we may lose balance or have to walk on unlevel surfaces, our body can respond quickly and appropriately.
Conner: Anything else to consider when talking about balance and strength?
Dr. Miller: Some medications can increase the risk of falling. And the other thing would be the environment. So, things that could be trip hazards would be things you'd want to take up off the floor.
Conner: Doctor Miller, thanks for this information about improving balance and strength.
Dr. Miller: Thank you for having me.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
