Don’t Live Life UNBALANCED

Improve Your Balance at FYZICAL

By Cynthia Burns, photos by Dan Epstein

FYZICAL® Therapy & Balance Centers strives to transform sick care to well care. Whether seeking relief from an injury or undergoing postsurgical rehabilitation, the therapists at FYZICAL help clients to decrease pain, restore mobility and ensure independence.

Katherine Cwiklinski, PT, DPT, OCS and owner of the Center, says clients often do not realize they have a balance problem until they have a fall and get injured while performing simple daily tasks, such as reaching overhead, bending over, or getting into or out of a bath tub. “Having good balance is important because it helps to prevent falls and injuries that can result from them.”

At FYZICAL®, exercises to improve balance are incorporated into all physical therapy (PT) programs. Developing better balance centers on strengthening muscles as well as correcting faulty body mechanics. Cwiklinski explains that it is a process of retraining muscles, the vestibular system (inner ear) and the somatosensory system, which is responsible for telling the brain where our bodies are in space. Balance training is beneficial for all ages, from young athletes to the elderly population. For instance, an injured high school athlete may start balance exercises on a flat surface, progressing to foam pads that offer an uneven surface. Older clients, especially those who use a cane or walker, go through their PT paces strapped into a safety harness secured to an overhead rail eliminating any fear of falling. The idea is to retrain the brain to be cognizant of balance while navigating any surface safely. Without the fear of falling, clients can rehab quicker than the traditional method where a therapist continuously holds a person to prevent them from falling. Training more independently will allow the patient’s brain to recognize when they are about to fall and, with the therapist’s help, learn how to prevent this from happening.

Cwiklinski notes that older patients in particular are committed to improving their balance. “Older people are more focused because they want to maintain their independence. They are driven by the fear of falling and a greater risk of sustaining a fracture.” FYZICAL® offers a comprehensive and individualized Balance Therapy program, which are recommended for people who have had several falls in a short amount of time. The program addresses balance and walking skills.

FYZICAL® is considered a premier practice for vestibular training, which includes the part of the inner ear that helps to control balance and is associated with disorders including dizziness, vertigo and BPPV, which stands for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. To underscore the attention having good balance deserves, Cwiklinski notes that it is common for people to have a loss of vestibular function beginning in their sixties. Given that, it is important to train the vestibular system in elderly patients in order to improve balance, so they can maintain independence during daily tasks and walking.

FYZICAL® also offers an orthopedic rehab program. They deal with ankle sprains, neck and lower back pain, all types of sport injuries, knee and hip replacements, auto accidents, neurological issues and many others. In addition to the more specialized treatments and equipment, they perform common therapies such as electrical stimulation and ultrasound for pain relief and muscle relaxation, stretching, and soft tissue/joint mobilizations.

The Center is part of a national franchise. Cwiklinski has owned FYZICAL®, formerly known as Paragon Physical Therapy, in Little Falls for eight years. She describes it as innovative in its approach to physical therapy, with its main focus on achieving optimal health and wellness so that you can get back to living the life you enjoy.

Katherine Cwiklinski, DPT

FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers

101 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Little Falls | 973-928-1950 FYZICAL.com/little-falls