Balance and Falls Prevention Flashcards
how can contextual or environmental factors influence mobility?
First phase of functional mobility
intervention takes place in the accessible environment of the hospital room or therapy clinic.
Second phase of intervention takes into consideration the actual environments to which the client will be returning
Realistic training takes place using simulated environments set up in the therapy clinic or around the treatment facility.
Third phase of intervention addresses community mobility and must consider the client’s definition of his or her community and the chosen or available modes of
travel
what is balance required for?
activities in sitting or standing,
including ability to transition from sitting to
standing and to walk
what can falls lead to?
- high medical costs
- decline in quality of life
- fatalities
what is the physiological basis of balance?
- Centre of gravity
- Base of support
- Limits of stability
- Postural adjustments
what is balance?
the ability to control the
Centre of Mass (CM) over the Base of
Support (BOS) within the Limits of
Stability
what is the limit of stability?
The area where the CM may be moved over any BOS without the loss of equilibrium
what 3 ways can CoG be displaced?
- By an external force applied to the
body, as occurs during contact sports - By external movement of the support surface, as occurs when we sit or stand in a moving vehicle
- During performance of activities
requiring self-initiated movement of
the head, limbs, or trunk
how can we maintain balance?
automatic postural responses
what are the automatic postural responses?
- Ankle Strategy: small movement
- Hip Strategy: maintains or restores equilibrium
- Stepping Strategy: increases BOS in C M movement
what is the ankle strategy?
- “Quiet Standing”
- Control small, slow, swaying
motions - Effective when surface area is firm
and long in relation to foot lengt
what is the hip strategy?
- Maintains or restores standing
balance - Most effective when support
surface is “soft” and/or short in
relation to foot length - Often used if ankle strategy is
ineffective
what is the stepping strategy?
- Taking a step
- Shift weight outside existing base
of support, then take a step to
bring base of support back under
centre of mass - “Reach and grasp” also a stepping
strategy - Often dictated by
environmental factors (eg
space constrains, availability of
supports)
what does an inability to maintain balance in posturally threatening situations result in?
maladaptive strategies
what is balance regulated by?
sensory systems
motor systems
what are the 3 steps to sensory organization?
vision
somatosensory
vestibular
