Prevent Falls with Fast Twitch Muscle Exercises 

I’m not a numbers guy, but the statistics on falls are staggering. Thousands die annually, and many who survive never regain their previous activity levels. The time it takes to blink can literally determine the quality and independence of your life.
First and foremost, everyone will lose their balance at some point. Even if you can stand on one toe while juggling chainsaws blindfolded, sooner or later, you’re going to lose it. It’s at that critical moment - mere milliseconds - that your fate is determined.
When that inevitable moment comes, the difference maker will be your ability to react, self-correct, and right yourself. This process depends on visual acuity, somatosensory feedback, vestibular integration, and muscle response. To prevent falls, we should focus on these attributes, which we can enhance through fast twitch (type 2) muscle fiber exercises with an eccentric overlay.
Fast twitch muscle exercises are expressions of power (force x acceleration). These exercises stimulate all the critical channels necessary for preventing falls. Essentially, a fast twitch exercise encompasses all the fall prevention variables in their exact sequence.
This is achieved through an ironic ground-up approach, practicing from the positions of falling. For example:
Take a quick step forward. Pause. Slowly lower yourself to the floor onto your stomach. Pause. Get up as quickly as possible.
Repeat with a quick sidestep, slowly lowering to each side. Pause. Get up as quickly as possible
Try a quick back step, slowly lowering onto your back. Pause, then explosively get up as quickly as possible.
People fall for three main reasons:
Lack of power to generate a reaction step.
Generating the reaction step but lacking the eccentric strength to stabilize.
Stabilizing but lacking the power to self-correct and return to a supportive position.
The ground-up approach isolates each of these steps and enhances the ability to perform them.
The quick first step requires a fast twitch response (the reaction phase).
The controlled lowering stimulates eccentric strength (the self-correct phase).
The explosive/fast twitch get-up is the righting phase, returning to a position of support.
Not only does the ground-up approach address all balance prevention factors, but the repetitive application of these exercises also enhances motor movement patterns essential for maintaining strength, mobility, and stability into later years.
I’ve seen too many well-intentioned active seniors suffer the dire consequences of a fall. Spend five minutes per day practicing the ground-up approach. Your older self will thank you one day.
Erik Lehane, a dedicated physical therapist with expertise in preventive care, is the visionary founder behind The Gaitway Group (thegaitwaygroup.com). Through this venture, he empowers active seniors with the knowledge and tools to “add life to their years.” For inquiries, contact Erik at erik@eriklehane.com.