Falls among older adults are very common with more than one third of those in this population falling each year. They are a leading cause of injury death of people in this category. Beyond the pain and suffering falls cause to victims and their families, the monetary costs to society for caring for these individuals are substantial and exceeded $19 billion in 2000 alone. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention, falls can be prevented and exercise can be one of the most important ways to reduce an individual's chances of falling. Lack of exercise leads to weakness and may mask other problems like poor coordination and impaired biomechanics. Farmington Valley Physical Therapy (FVPT) of Unionville, CT has developed a balance and gait training program that utilizes cutting edge technologies to both identify and treat the weaknesses before they can cause falls.

FVPT utilizes a state of the art computerized balance training platform to both diagnose and treat balance problems. The client stands on the platform, first with their eyes open, and then shut with the goal of keeping their body weight over the center of the platform while the computer measures the degree of body sway. Each test takes 10 seconds and results are available immediately. If the computer measures an above average risk of fall, the person is then enrolled in a preventative rehabilitation program (prehabilitation or prehab for short) with a physical therapist where they learn balance retraining.

Traditional balance training involves gait training, strengthening, and flexibility. Physical therapist and owner of FVPT, Bogusia Badon goes a step further and challenges her patients with games. “Electronic games are a great way to simulate situations we encounter in real life.” Games available at FVPT range from the most simple, requiring the patient to shift their weight and step on the specialized balance platform to move a cursor through a maze on the computer screen, to more complicated games on the Nintendo Wii or Dance Dance Revolution game systems. “We call it Wii-hab and patients love it. It’s a great way to make physical therapy fun and keep people engaged,” Bogusia said, “Good balance is the result of sensory information and feedback as well as good motor responses, skills and coordination. Games emphasize hand-eye coordination, bilateral movement, and depth perception. They are a great tool to improve motor skills and complement traditional coordination training.”

Balance evaluation using digital posturography is relevant for people of all ages and fitness levels for injury and fall prevention.

Here is a partial list of balance problems that benefit from retraining:

• Stroke
• Parkinson's Disease
• Cerebral hemorrhage with balance symptoms
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular weakness
• Back pain and splinting
• Foot, knee and leg injuries