Description
Strong legs can help prevent a fall, but respiratory muscle strength can also bolster one’s ability to decrease fall risk. Learn how the respiratory muscles contribute to your balance and steadiness of walking, as well as additional health benefits such as blood pressure management and reducing lower leg swelling. Discover what you can do to strengthen your respiratory and core muscles and learn specific breathing exercises. Note: this follow-up to Janet Popp’s summer of 2022 presentation contains new content with a stronger focus on breathing exercises.
Janet Popp, PT, MS, is a physical therapist, gerontologist, and service provider in the NM Developmental Disability Waiver Program. She chairs the New Mexico Adult Falls Prevention Coalition and is a member of a research team implementing a falls prevention program at the Pueblo of Zuni.