Falls prevention assessment and treatment

If you have fallen in the past or you feel you may be at risk of falling, then it is important to find out why it has happened to reduce your likelihood of falling again and to help overcoming the fear of falling.  The London Podiatry Centre  offers a comprehensive assessment and gait analysis which concentrates on strategies to reduce the susceptibility to falls.   Falls are multi-factorial, meaning they can occur for a number of reasons.  We will take a thorough history and conduct an assessment which will identify the risk factors that may have contributed to you having a fall and look at factors that can help to prevent a fall in the future.  We can offer treatments here at The London Podiatry Centre  which focus on footwear, orthoses, strength, balance and proprioception which can take the form of simple activities or an advanced programme.  It is very important that a strength and balance training programme is tailored to the individual and monitored by a trained professional. The London Podiatry Centre offers a specialised physiotherapy service to patients who require falls prevention management.

During the assessment we may identify other factors that may contribute to your risk of falling which could include risks within the home, problems with your vision or you may need a medication review with your GP.  We will liaise with your GP if other important factors are identified to ensure a holistic approach is taken to help prevent the risk of you falling in the future.

This assessment concentrates on strategies to reduce susceptibility to falls.   It will be specific to the risk factors identified during gait analysis, with an emphasis on proprioceptive work i.e. balance re-education and stabilisation strategies.

There are many ways in which our Centre assesses a patient's susceptability to falls. One important test is called "postural sway analysis"  and this involves using  pressure sensors to measure how much the body sways during what is known as "quiet standing".   Below is an example of where The Centre was able to significantly improve a patients function by means of a specialised operation called a " modified interpositional arthroplasty".    This operation has not only resolved the patient's pain, but also significantly reduced her susceptibility to falls.  The postural sway distance value before surgery was 27cm but this reduced significantly to 15cm after surgery.  Also, before surgery the pelvis rotated in a markedly asymmetrical way whilst motion became highly symmetrical after surgery.  (see above graphs)