Are you worried about having a fall? Do you have Osteopenia or Osteoporosis? Are you worried about family and friends with these conditions?

With new advancements in medical treatment emerging every day, the average lifespan has steadily increased. And this means we have a growing and aging elderly population. However, the older we get, the more our risk of experiencing a fall increases. And because a fall may mean limited mobility during recovery, our overall health can also suffer.

Annually, one in four older adults report a fall. In 2021, close to 39,000 adults 65 years and older died from preventable falls in the USA. And almost 2.9 million reported an injury necessitating the use of emergency services. So, how can we prevent this? What can you do to avoid becoming part of these statistics?

How Can We Prevent Falls?

A key part of fall prevention is assessment of risk. Many factors are at play when it comes to fall risk, including:

• Gait mechanics
• Vision
• The health status of your bones and joints
• Use of mobility devices
• Activity level
• Medical conditions
• And medications.

Thus, assessing your physical health is an important part of assessing your risk—and the Kinetisense app can play a role in your preventative strategy.

How Does Kinetisense Help Assess Fall Risk?

Kinetisense evaluates your muscle mass and fitness level—as well as how you move. This assessment identifies faulty movement patterns and weaknesses that can lead to balance problems and, ultimately, falls.

So, let’s take a closer look at how this groundbreaking AI app does this. How does it impact how we assess your fall risk at Turramurra Physiotherapy?

Assessment of Walking Gait

How you walk gives many clues as to the status of bones, joints, and muscles. Our bodies often compensate for weak or injured components before we even realise there is a problem. By assessing factors in your gait, like stability, timing, range of motion, stride length, limb movement, trunk rotation, and symmetry, injuries and movement dysfunctions can be caught before they cause problems.

The “get up and go” or “Tinetti Balance and Gait” tests are critical assessment tools for calculating fall risk worldwide. The Kinetisense tool takes this assessment a step further, creating objective data that can be tracked over time rather than subjective observations.

For example, if one side of a patient’s hip hikes up while walking more than the other side, it can indicate an alignment issue, intrinsic muscle weakness, or deteriorating connective tissue. By detecting these problems early, we can intervene and lower your risk. For instance, we may recommend specific strengthening exercises, the use of a mobility assist device like a cane, or further medical imaging. In turn, we can create a treatment program specific to you and your unique fall risk.

Tracking Mobility and Recovery From Previous Injuries

Once initial movement information is collected in Kinetisense, it can be stored to assess progress. These precise measurements can tell us if you’re improving your movement mechanics or compensating in some other way. In turn, this offers us checkpoints for each phase of treatment.

Repetitive Motion Injuries

The “kinetic chain” refers to how the parts of your body work together to orchestrate movement. If something is off in your kinetic chain, it can cause injuries that manifest in other parts of the body; everything is connected!

In many cases, it can be hard to recognise that the cause of pain may be coming from somewhere other than the site of the pain itself. Yet, with Kinetesense, we can catch these major issues and pinpoint the root cause, guiding you toward eliminating your pain and symptoms for good.

Kinetisense Vs. Other Movement-Tracking Software

The best part about Kinetisense? It doesn’t require multiple sensors, cameras, markers, or a complicated setup, often necessary for other movement-tracking software. Thus, the assessment process is much quicker, given that only one sensor is needed to assess movement in three different planes of motion.

If you’re interested in using Kinetesense to assess fall risk for you or someone you love, contact our expert team at Turramurra Physiotherapy today. We’re here to help you live your best life!

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