‘Pre-hab’ now so you don’t have to rehab later
One of my favorite maxims from the sports world — and which really applies to all of life — is that “the most important ability is availability.”
A close second, though — especially as we age — should be mobility.
After all, the quality of the second half of your life is going to be largely determined by how easily — and painlessly — you can stay upright and ambulatory.
But maintaining your functional fitness — that is, the ability to perform everyday tasks such as getting in and out of automobiles, carrying grocery bags, negotiating curbs and stairwells, doing household chores — doesn’t happen by luck or accident.
No, you consciously have to work at maintaining your mobility.
At least that’s the message coming from Tracy Smith, Cleveland Clinic Florida’s director of physical therapy.
“One of our goals is to educate seniors about the importance of taking preventive action now,” explained Smith. “Too often, people think of
physical therapy simply as a way to rehabilitate a joint or muscle group after an injury or surgery. But it’s really so much more than that. Exercises related to certain movements can help slow down, or even stave off, age-related health problems for many seniors.”
Among the ways that physical therapists such as Smith help folks maintain mobility and independence:
■ Full evaluation of patients’ strength, flexibility and range of motion ■ Gait analysis (this helps patients improve their walking skills and work on areas of weakness)
■ Balance testing and training (reducing the risk of falls is crucial for seniors because falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people 65 and older)
■ Resistance training (improving the strength of muscles and the den
sity of bones decreases patients’ vulnerabil ityto degenerative conditions such as osteoporosis)
■ Flexibil ityandrange of motion exercises (these
help lengthen muscles and help decrease the
likelihood of painful, softtissue injuries)
At specialized physical therapy facilities, such as Cleve landClinicFlor
ida’s Palm Beach Gardens location (4520 Donald Ross Road), the personalized approach is custom-tailored to each patient’s individual needs and goals.
“Weworkhands-on with our patients the entire time they’re here in order to teach them what they’ll need to know so that they can maintain their long-term mobility on their own,” said Smith.
Of course, maintaining one’s fitness and wellbeing is always more enjoyable in a group setting. So, once folks “graduate” from a program like Smith’s Cleveland Clinic
Florida protocol, they might want to consider ways to e nsuretheycontinue making progress.
One of the most popular and longest tenured free local wellness programs for seniors is offered thrice-weekly (Monday/ Wednesday/Friday, 7 to 8:30 a.m. during the
school year) at the Florida Atlantic University Basketball Arena (777 Glades Road, Boca Raton).
For more than 20 years, the FAU Department of Exercise Science & Health has been running the FAU Well Program at which participating seniors do cardio, strength, balance and flexibility training under the supervision of Department of Exercise
Science & Health students and instructors.
Overseen by FAU ExerciseSci ence professor Sue Graves, the program has been remarkably successful, she sa id,atboth improving participants’ fitness and detecting potential problems before they become serious.
“We assess everyone before and after every session,” explained Graves. “We want to encourage improvement — and immediately notice any decline.”
To learn more about the FAU Well Program, call 561-297-2938 or fau.edu.