Regular Exercise Can Prevent Falling: 5 Ways to Make It Easier

If you’re alive on this planet, you know that doctors always recommend regular exercise for optimal health. Exercise improves heart function, keeps unwanted pounds off, wards off disease, and even calms symptoms of depression and anxiety. But if you’re a senior citizen, there’s another benefit of exercise you may not have thought of:

Regular exercise can help prevent dangerous falls.

If you’re someone who exercises already – great. You’re better off than the 30-40% of people over 65 and 50% of people aged 80 and up who take a fall every year. If you don’t exercise, starting an exercise program may seem daunting. But, it doesn’t have to be.

Here are five ways to get motivated to strengthen the muscles that help you sit, stand, and walk confidently without dangerous hesitations or wobbles:

1. First things first – fix your foot or ankle pain: Exercise may be difficult, painful, or downright impossible if it causes pain. Let our board-certified podiatrist, Jon M. Sherman, treat your toe arthritis, nerve pain, or plantar fasciitis with state-of-the-art treatments and therapies, including custom orthotic inserts and targeted laser therapy. Dr. Sherman can also perform a fall prevention risk assessment.
2. Do something you like: Walking is easy and requires no special equipment except a great pair of shoes. If walking isn’t appealing, there’s swimming, tai chi, and yoga.
3. Start slowly: You risk injuring yourself if you exercise long and hard from the get-go.
4. Exercise with a friend: An exercise partner can be very helpful to keep you motivated.
5. Take advantage of Montgomery County resources: Call your local senior center or YMCA to inquire about balance and exercise classes. Many facilities offer transportation to and from, making it easier to keep exercising.

Commit to exercise this Falls Prevention Awareness Month! For a foot exam or personalized fall prevention assessment, contact Kentlands Foot & Ankle Center in Gaithersburg at 301-330-5666 or request an appointment with Dr. Sherman online.

What Is a Podiatrist?

Around the world, podiatrists pursue the advancement of the Podiatry field for everyone’s benefit, and, to better serve those who suffer from ankle and foot conditions. Your feet are vital to your everyday life. They permit you to walk 150,000 miles in your lifetime, which is equal to walking around the world six times! Foot issues can be debilitating; therefore, it is important to take care of your feet.

People may wonder why there is a branch of medicine that deals strictly with feet. It’s because foot problems are very common. A few of the most common issues people have with their feet include:

• Bunions
• Athlete’s foot
• Ingrown toenails
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Plantar fasciitis
• Corns
• Heel spurs
• Blisters

Education and Awareness

Our team of experts at Kentlands Foot and Ankle Center strive to elevate awareness about the importance of proper foot health. That is one of the reasons we wanted our patients to be able to access reliable and accessible information that pertains to the lower extremities. If you would like to get involved, you can help spread the word about podiatry and important foot health tips! When you’ve learned more about proper foot health, you can begin spreading the word and educating others. Start here:

• Read up on health conditions related to the feet, including information on keeping your feet healthy.
• Proper daily foot care involves activities like caring for your toenails and wearing the right shoes.
• Learn to maintain good foot health
• Have an in-person conversation or by using social media to discuss podiatry and foot health.

When To See a Podiatrist

Anytime you experience foot or ankle discomfort, changes in the appearance of your feet, abnormal growth(s), or have an underlying medical condition that affects your feet or ability to function. Symptoms are not always obvious and may even continue unnoticed. If you or anyone you know is experiencing one or more symptoms, it is time to see a podiatrist.

Schedule An Appointment

If you are experiencing chronic foot pain or discomfort in your lower extremities, call our Montgomery office at 301-330-5666 and schedule an appointment with our board-certified podiatrist Dr. Jon M. Sherman or visit our website for more information.