I am here to tell you that there’s nothing normal and nothing natural about having poor balance or falling as you get older.

When older adults are told that and they are already struggling with balance problems or movement issues, how do you think that makes them feel? Hopeless, right?

When we are younger, our bodies are constantly in motion. We’re jumping, we’re running, we’re tumbling, we’re rolling, we’re turning quickly, we’re at high speeds. We’re doing all these things that you see children do. Even into your 20s and your 30s, you are probably still involved in a lot of movement, a lot of work activity that involves physical motion. Your balance system is practicing regularly and that’s why young people have better balance.

But essentially what I’m trying to say to you is that when our bodies are younger, our activity level keeps us in shape. It keeps our balance systems calibrated correctly so that we do not lose our balance and fall.

It keeps our muscles in great shape so that we have the strength and endurance to do what we need to do. As we get older, our activity level is moved more toward the requirements of adulthood, which sometimes are not that fun. But if you think about how your life has changed over time, your movement patterns have changed drastically compared to your younger self.

That change is often the single biggest reason that people end up having struggles with balance when they get older.

The balance system, as we get older, is not tested or challenged, and there’s not as much practice. We typically walk in a forward pattern, and we don’t move quickly. There is rarely a need as an older adult to move quickly. We’re not turning quickly, we’re not rolling, we’re not tumbling. So, the balance system naturally calibrates at a much lower level.

When that system does not practice high-level responses and activities on a regular basis, it’s not prepared for when a high-level response is needed.

For instance, if your normal life consists of spending a lot of time sitting, and you’re an older adult and you don’t go out often and you move slowly, and then all of a sudden you have to go out and step down a curb outside, that’s a higher-level balance activity that your system may not be ready for.

So, when people tell you that the reason you’re struggling is because you’re older, 70, 80, 90, it is absolutely false.

Most people that I see as a licensed physical therapist have problems more associated with the fact that they don’t move the way they did as their younger self and their body is not practicing doing things at a high level. And then people tell you that it’s natural and normal and you just have to take it easy, which is the opposite of what your body needs.

So, what are you supposed to do? You’re stuck. You’re feeling scared about your balance. You may be falling. You may have weakness that is very frustrating. You’re afraid to go out with friends and family. And then on top of that, people tell you that, “Well, it’s natural and you just have to take it easy.”

My experience shows that the reason you’re struggling is not because you’re older. Number two, the reason you’re struggling can be reversed in many, many cases. The only way to improve balance is through specific, custom exercises targeted to your situation. There are a lot of factors involved and some physical therapists are specialists in improving balance in older adults. It’s the only way … there is no pill, no surgery, no magic potion … you have to work at it.

You can reverse your poor balance and a great physical therapist can help.

Joel J. Digris is a Schuylkill County resident with a master’s degree in physical therapy. He is currently employed by Achieva Rehabilitation as an outpatient provider of physical therapy.

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