Gait and Balance Training – Helping Patients Get Back on Their Feet

Rehabilitation can be a frustrating and rewarding process.  Yet, as with many things in life, by implementing proven methods and using the right equipment, patients can get back on the road to recovery. HRS Direct is here to help provide the right tools for the task.

For example, let’s explore the benefits of a gait and balance training system.  These systems were developed as a means of helping people get back on their feet (literally) following a neurological disorder developed from stroke, injury to the spine, or other types of disease and incidents.

The point of gait and balance training is to “retrain” your brain to find alternate connections from those lost as a result of neurological damage. Therapists work with patients to help them regain balance, function, and stability.  Stability is the most important of the three because statistically speaking, nearly 40 percent of adults 65 and over fall each year, but never mention it to their doctor.  Falls are also the leading cause of injuries both fatal and non-fatal among the elderly in the US. In 2012 alone almost 2.5 million non-fatal falls occurred. Of those falls recorded close to 725,000 ended up having to be hospitalized. As the baby boomer population continues to age, we can only expect those numbers to increase.

Gait and balance training starts slow then gradually builds in intensity and duration until the patient can and walk without complications on their own. Once rehabilitation is completed the more the patient should continue to walk. In fact, believe it or not, a person's ability to walk is directly correlated with their lifespan. Studies have shown that once you reach age 70, the slower you walk, the greater your probability of death increases. By age 75 slow walkers live on average six years less than moderate walkers and 10 years less than fast walkers.

Gait and balance therapy has been used for many decades by physical and occupational therapists and has proven to be effective in helping get their patients back on their feet.  If your facility is looking for the best in medical supplies and equipment look no further than HRS Direct. 

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