{"id":449,"date":"2017-07-04T14:33:38","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T13:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.linsladephysiotherapy.co.uk\/physio4u\/?p=449"},"modified":"2017-07-04T18:00:22","modified_gmt":"2017-07-04T17:00:22","slug":"sitting-down-to-help-reduce-falls-and-fractures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.linsladephysiotherapy.co.uk\/physio4u\/index.php\/2017\/07\/sitting-down-to-help-reduce-falls-and-fractures\/","title":{"rendered":"Sitting down to help reduce falls and fractures."},"content":{"rendered":"

Falls have been a big topic since people can have their lives change forever should they break a hip or dislocate a shoulder or anything similar. \u00a0Falls are the commonest cause of injury-related hospitalisation in persons aged over 65 years, accounting for about 30% of all medical emergency admissions. Women are 3x more likely to fall than men, and in the elderly, are also more likely to be osteoporotic making the chance of a fracture higher. \u00a0I find all this information concerning.<\/p>\n

You can get advice on controlling falls that ranges from eating dietary supplements to performing balance training to wearing protective clothing to protect points where a fracture might occur. \u00a0One thing that I have noticed hasn’t been given that much attention is that often people lose the ability to sit with control at a relatively young age. \u00a0If you can’t control how you sit down then there is a bigger chance of slipping sideways off the chair or falling backwards than there would be if you sat with control.<\/p>\n

The 1 minute squat test is a good way yo see how fit a person is but there is the assumption that the person is getting up and down correctly which might not always be the case.<\/p>\n

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1 MINUTE SQUAT TEST<\/p>\n

Stand in front of a chair, feet\u00a0shoulder-width apart and squat\u00a0down to lightly touch the chair\u00a0before standing again. See how\u00a0many you can do in one minute.\u00a0Make sure the chair is low enough so\u00a0that it allows your hip bone to drop a\u00a0fraction below your knee.<\/p>\n

Superfit<\/strong>: More than 60
\nFit<\/strong>: 40-60
\nBarely fit<\/strong>: 20-39
\nUnfit<\/strong>: Less than 20<\/p>\n

Sometimes it’s better to start , without worrying about the time limit, and see if you can perform a chair squat with good form:<\/p>\n

Chair Squats<\/strong>:<\/h4>\n

Stand about 2 feet in front of a chair, hinge forward at your hips, torso leaning slightly forward (45 degree angle), bend hips, knees (knee caps tracking over first and second toe) and ankles congruently, move hips back and down toward the seat pan (sit bones barely touch the edge of chair), arms crossed in front of chest, brace your core. Stand up fully (shoulders and hips level).<\/p>\n

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Now if you want to progress there are lots of variations but one that I like best is to start performing goblet squats which can be a precursor to performing back squats.<\/p>\n

Goblet Squat\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The few coaching cues involved in the goblet squat more than suffice to get the job done:<\/p>\n