Physiotherapy links:

Chartered Society of Physiotherapy – csp.org.uk
Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology – acpin.net
Physio First – physiofirst.org.uk

 

Condition specific links:

MS Society – mssociety.org.uk
MS Trust – mstrust.org.uk
Stroke Association – stroke.org.uk

Different Strokes – differentstrokes.co.uk
Parkinson’s UK – parkinsons.org.uk
Headway – headway.org.uk
GBS Support Group – gbs.org.uk

 

Useful Links Close

I’m not as steady as I used to be and have been having some falls. Can physio help?

General / 23 November 2022

Maybe; it depends why you are falling.

People can have balance problems, particularly those with a neurological condition, and fall for many reasons. Importantly, before seeing a physiotherapist it would be worth checking in with your GP to make sure that there are no medical reasons why you are not as steady as you were; such as sudden changes to blood pressure, reduced blood sugar or infection, to name a few.

Physios can help when your balance problem is due to physical impairments such as weakness, stiffness, altered sensation, slowed reaction time or problems with your vestibular system. Understandably when you feel unsteady or have had some falls you start losing confidence and might stop doing things due to fear of falling. Unfortunately this in turn leads to further reduced balance and potentially more falls. Physiotherapy would therefore aim to reverse this cycle.

The physiotherapist would assess you to establish what factors are causing your unsteadiness and carry out some balance tests. Depending on what they find they will advise a programme of exercises aimed at improving your balance, stopping you falling over and building your confidence.

As with all exercises they need to be targetted to be effective. So if you have a problem with your balance, you need to do specific balance exercises to help you improve.

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