“Don’t Let Falls Slow You Down: How Active Adults Can Stay Strong, Balanced, and Independent This Fall”

🍂 Why Fall Risk Matters

Falls are one of the leading causes of injury in adults over 60—but they’re not inevitable. Small declines in lower-body strength, balance, and reaction speed often go unnoticed until a trip or misstep leads to a fall. For active individuals, a single fall can mean months away from the activities you love.

Common contributing factors include:

• Decreased leg strength (especially quads & glutes)

• Slower reflexes when catching yourself

• Reduced proprioception (your body’s position awareness)

• Subtle changes in vision or inner ear function

🧪 Three Easy At-Home Fall Risk Tests

These are the same tests used by sports and orthopedic physical therapists. They take just a few minutes and can give valuable insight into your balance and mobility.

1️⃣ Timed Up and Go (TUG)

How:

• Sit in a chair, stand, walk 10 ft (3 m), turn, return, and sit.

• Time the whole process.

Norms:

• 60–69 yrs: ~8 sec

• 70–79 yrs: ~9 sec

• 80–99 yrs: ~11 sec

• 👉 >12 seconds = increased fall risk

  
  

2️⃣ 30-Second Chair Stand Test

How:

• Sit with arms crossed, stand up and sit down as many times as possible in 30 seconds.

• No using hands.

Normative Ranges (reps):

Age	Men	Women
60–64	14–19	12–17
70–74	12–17	10–15
80–84	10–15	9–14

👉 Lower scores suggest leg strength deficits—one of the strongest predictors of fall risk.

3️⃣ Four-Stage Balance Test

How: Try to hold each stance for 10 seconds:

1. Feet together

2. Semi-tandem (heel beside big toe)

3. Tandem (heel-to-toe)

4. Single-leg stance

Norms (single-leg stance):

• 60–69 yrs: ~22 sec

• 70–79 yrs: ~14 sec

• 80–89 yrs: ~6 sec

👉 Difficulty holding tandem or single-leg positions signals reduced balance stability.

🏋️ What to Do if You Score Below Average

Falling short of these benchmarks doesn’t mean you’re destined to fall—it’s a call to action. A targeted program focusing on leg strength, dynamic balance, and reaction training can make a dramatic difference.

Common strategies include:

• Lower-body strength training (especially quads, hips, calves)

• Single-leg balance drills

• Step & agility training to improve reflexes

• Vestibular and vision checks if needed

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📅 Book Your Free Fall-Risk Screen

This October, we’re offering free fall-risk screens at Pin-Point Physical Therapy. You'll get a quick 15-minute assessment, your results, and clear next steps to keep you moving confidently.

👉 Book Your Free Screen Here or call/text (216) 559-5815 to save your spot.