Introduction:
Falls can happen to anyone at any time. It can have a significant impact on your physical health and wellbeing. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, falls-related injuries resulted in 253,800 hospitalisations, and just over 4 in 10 of all injury hospitalisations during 2024-2025 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2026).
These statistics are concerning. The aim isn’t to make you worry, it simply needs to be brought to your attention, and the word needs to be spread. It is important that we stay proactive about our health (One of our major core values at Stay Tuned Sports Medicine).
So, what is an Osteopath’s Role?
- History Taking (Learning more about yourself, activities of daily living, previous injury to help identify potential risk factors that may lead to a fall).
- Physical and Functional Assessment (Assessing your joint mobility, overall strength and balance)
- Manual Therapy and Exercise Rehab (Supporting you with your exercise)
- Collaborating in a Team-Based Care Approach (Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, GPs)
(Osteopathy Australia, 2025)
Wrap Up:
It is not just about preventing falls, it can also help maintain and further build your physical strength and capacity (Sadaqa et al., 2023). We all love achieving our goals and doing the activities we love. Fall prevention is just one part of that. It’s about doing the exercise that is tailored towards your needs. Most importantly, it is enjoying the whole journey.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2026). Falls. Australian Government. AIHW Falls report
Osteopathy Australia. (2025). Falls prevention guideline: Position statement. Osteopathy Australia – Falls Position Statement
Sadaqa, M. M., Németh, Z. N., Makai, A., Prémusz, V., & Hock, M. (2023). Effectiveness of exercise interventions on fall prevention in ambulatory community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review with narrative synthesis. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1209319. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1209319