Fall prevention is the #1 thing your physical therapist can address to extend your healthspan, and your life
Fall prevention shouldn’t begin when you’re old enough to fall. It should begin while you’re young enough to improve the strength, balance and mobility that help keep you from falling.
If you’re over 55, or plan to be over 55 someday, it’s time to start thinking about fall prevention. Because as your body ages, falls can start a domino effect with a negative impact on your healthspan.
Remember: healthspan is, “The length of time in one’s life during which an individual is in reasonably good health. Can you do all the things you want to?”
Consider the broken hip “domino.” A lot of healthspans end prematurely in the months and years after a hip fracture. Restoring function after a hip fracture can be a daunting task. This time is lost healthspan. You’re alive, but you’re not doing what you want to be capable of doing.
For a deeper dive on this, The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging published a helpful article in 2026, titled, “Falls and Frailty Transitions in Older Adults: A Multi-state Analysis of a National Longitudinal Cohort.” It looks at connection between falls and transitions as they relate to “frailty states” and mortality among older adults.
