Balance and Agility

Physical therapist directed treatment can assist patients with balance disorders in a number of ways. As experts in the evaluation and treatment of movement, muscle, joint, and nervous system disorders, our physical therapists can prescribe and implement a variety of treatments including:

• Coordination Exercises
• Proprioception Exercises
• Strengthening Exercises
• Stretching and Range of Motion Exercises
• Posture Exercises
• Retraining of the Inner Ear
• Visual Tracking Training

Education is Therapy

The most important part of treating a balance disorder is understanding your diagnosis, the cause of the problem, and how to manage it. That’s why we place great emphasis on patient education and coordination of care with your referring physician.

Three Additional and Important Treatment Options

Reduce Fall Risk. Your physical therapist will assess problem footwear and hazards in your home that increase your risk of balance problems or falling. Household hazards include loose rugs, poor lighting, unrestrained pets, or other possible obstacles.

Reduce Fear of Falling. By addressing specific problems that are found during the examination, your physical therapist will help you regain confidence in your balance and your ability to move freely, and perform daily activities. As you build confidence in your balance and physical ability, you will be better able to enjoy your normal daily activities.

Care Collaboration. Working in collaboration with your medical doctor, allows you to get two expert opinions and assessments of your condition. Together, we can better address your balance disorders and decrease your fear of falling and fall risks.

Agility in Sports

Agility or nimbleness is an ability to change the body’s position efficiently and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength and endurance. More specifically, it is dependent on:

• • Balance – The ability to maintain equilibrium when stationary or moving (i.e. not to fall over) through the coordinated actions of our sensory functions (eyes, ears and the proprioceptive organs in our joints);
  • Static balance – The ability to retain the centre of mass above the base of support in a stationary position;
  • Dynamic balance – The ability to maintain balance with body movement;
  • Speed – The ability to move all or part of the body quickly;
  • Strength – The ability of a muscle or muscle group to overcome a resistance; and lastly,
  • Coordination – The ability to control the movement of the body in co-operation with the body’s sensory functions (e.g., in catching a ball [ball, hand, and eye coordination]).
  • In sports, agility is often defined in terms of an individual sport, due to it being an integration of many components each used differently (specific to all of sorts of different sports).

In sports, agility is often defined in terms of an individual sport, due to it being an integration of many components each used differently (specific to all of sorts of different sports). Reference

Physical Therapy & Agility

Physical therapist directed care often addresses the various components of agility. Depending on the patient’s needs and treatment goals, a variety of balance, speed, coordination and sport specific training techniques may be part of a patient’s comprehensive rehabilitation program. Physical therapists are experts at preparing patients for return to sport.