Falls Prevention Network: Improving Balance

What is falls prevention in podiatry?

Falls prevention is a structured approach to reducing your risk of falling by assessing and improving the factors that affect your stability — including foot health, footwear, gait, balance and lower-limb strength. At Blueprint Podiatry in Tuggerah, our podiatry team assesses how your feet and legs contribute to your balance and builds a personalised plan to help you move more confidently.

Why do falls happen?

Falls are rarely caused by a single thing. They tend to result from a combination of factors, and many are linked to the feet and lower limbs, such as:

• Foot pain or deformity that changes how you walk
• Reduced sensation (common in people living with diabetes)
• Poor balance and proprioception — your body's sense of where it is in space
• Weakness in the feet, ankles or legs
• Inappropriate or worn footwear
• Gait changes related to ageing, neurological conditions, or recovery from injury or surgery

Identifying which of these apply to you is the first step in reducing your risk. Research highlights that targeted, multi-factor strategies are central to effective falls prevention in older adults [2].

How does Blueprint Podiatry assess and help manage falls risk?

Our podiatry team holds a Bachelor of Podiatry, training in Foot Mobilisation Therapy, and Level 1 Running Coach certification — meaning genuine, detailed gait assessment is part of how we work. For falls prevention, this typically may include:

• Balance and gait assessment — looking at postural control, coordination and how you walk
• Foot and lower-limb screening — checking for pain, deformity, weakness or reduced sensation
• Footwear review — making sure your shoes support rather than undermine your stability
• Custom orthotics where indicated — designed using weightbearing 3D scanning and 3D printed in-house, so each device is patient-matched to your left and right foot
• A personalised plan — which may include exercises to build strength and balance, footwear guidance, and ongoing foot care

Where appropriate, additional clinic services such as foot mobilisation therapy, shockwave therapy or dry needling may form part of managing an underlying issue contributing to your instability.

Emerging tools, including mobile and home-based programs, are increasingly used to support balance work between appointments [1] — and your plan is always tailored to your goals and lifestyle.

When should you seek help?

It's worth booking an assessment if you've had a fall or a near-miss, feel unsteady on your feet, notice your walking has changed, have foot pain affecting your movement, or live with diabetes or a neurological condition. Acting early helps you stay active and independent.

Practitioners offering this service

• Ally McIllhatton - Tuggerah Clinic

Our clinics offering this service

• Tuggerah Clinic