The elderly population covers a considerable portion of Australians. Did you know that 1 in 6 people were aged over 65 years old? Physiotherapists are seeing an increasing amount of older adults present in the clinic with poor balance, generalized deconditioning and frailty due to their age. If you have issues with walking and performing daily household activities then physiotherapy exercises can help you get back on track. In this blog, we are going to cover common type of assessments a physiotherapist will perform in the clinic to determine your musculoskeletal health. This aims to cover muscle power, strength, endurance, balance and aerobic capacity. These assessments will often translate to exercises to help you reach your goals.
Physiotherapy assessments:
Sit-to-stand: The test involves the patient sitting in a chair then standing up. The patient will get 30 seconds to perform as many sit-to-stands. It is aimed to examine leg strength and endurance in older adults. A poor performance in this test may indicate higher risk for falling over and injuring the patient. The normative value will range depending on the gender and age group.
Single leg calf raise test: This test involves the patient performing their maximum repetition of a single leg calf raise. Calf strength is strongly associated with walking and balance capabilities. This test is aimed to examine lower limb strength and endurance in older adults.
Balance test: The assessment involves the patient stepping in multiple directions to determine their dynamic balance. This will involve the patient to step forward, backward and sideways. This will determine the patient ability to clear the ground during their steps and make postural adjustments in multiple directions. This test is useful because most fall injuries occur when the older adult is walking compared to standing or sitting positions.
Physiotherapy treatments:
In this blog, we can see how these physiotherapy assessments can help determine the musculoskeletal health of an older adult. After the assessments, the physiotherapist will know which areas the patient will need to focus with their rehabilitation exercise. The physiotherapists will be able to provide a tailored strength and condition program to help you reach your goals. Physiotherapy can help improve your balance and increase your overall strength and conditioning to help you perform your daily activities. Book an appointment today with a friendly Myphysio physiotherapists. You can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram for tips on physiotherapy exercises.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or health care professional. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your health care provider.
References:
Physionetwork (2022) 5 overlooked assessments for exercise prescription in older adults, Physio Network. Available at: https://www.physio-network.com/blog/assessments-exercise-prescription-older-adults/
Older Australians, demographic profile. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Available at: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/older-people/older-australians/contents/demographic-profile