Jan 5, 2014 – Fall risk is a significant concern in specific populations, and often amongst the elderly. The consequences of falls for this population and especially for those with osteoporosis, can be significant. Fractures and the resulting time away from regular daily activities can lead to dysfunction, depression and even, because of the associated complications of immobility, death.
That’s a heavy way to open a blog posting, especially a posting on this blog! The good news is that there are plenty of things that can be done through exercise training to help mitigate fall risk. These things can be a ton of fun and furthermore can open avenues to personal development that might not otherwise be accessed. Exciting stuff!
Osteoporosis Canada cites a 2013 consensus statement (*) recommending that individuals with osteoporosis participate in workout protocols that include resistance training and balance training! What’s fun and trains strength and balance (not to mention coordination) while encouraging social interaction? Ballroom dancing is one excellent answer to that question! Studies show that ballroom dancing can promote significant improvements in functional autonomy and balance (**).
I visited with Marla Silva, the talented personality behind Danceolgy Ballroom and Latin Dancing studio in Toronto’s Liberty Village to discuss the use of dancing to train balance and stability! Dancing can additionally be a great avenue for building social skills, setting goals and generally pushing you out of your comfort zone – something that benefits all of us.
Check out the video to learn more and visit the Danceology website at www.danceology.org for information about the wide variety of programs there!
(*) Giangregorio, LM., Papaioannou, A., MacIntyre, NJ., Ashe, MC., Heinonen, A., Shipp, K., Wark, J., McGill, S., Keller, H., Jain, R., Laprade, J., Cheung, AM. (2013) Too Fit To Fracture: exercise recommendations for individuals with osteoporosis or osteoporotic vertebral fracture, Osteoporosis International, 24 (12)
(**) Gomes da Silva Borges, E., Ali Cader, S., Gomes de Souza Vale, R., Henrique Pires Cruz, T., Cezar de Gurgel de Alencar Carvalho, M., Miguel Pinto, F., Dantas, E. (2011) The effect of ballroom dance on balance and functional autonomy among the isolated elderly, Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 55, 492–496
