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Gentle physiotherapy exercises can help older adults maintain mobility and prevent falls. Know which all exercises are suitable. 

Older adults, as they age, often face difficulty with mobility. This is where gentle physiotherapy exercises assist seniors in staying healthy and agile in their movements.
ALSO READ: Poor knee health in older adults: 5 exercises to improve joint strength

Dr Pothiraj Pitchai, professor and head of the department of physiotherapy at K J Somaiya College of Physiotherapy, shared with HT Lifestyle that regular exercises help in improving mobility, maintaining muscle strength. He said, “Ageing brings changes beyond grey hair; even our muscles, joints, and nerves lose strength, flexibility, and balance, raising fall risk and limiting independence. Regular, gentle physiotherapy exercises support safer, healthier ageing. With guidance from a physiotherapist, simple daily practice of safe exercise, seniors can enjoy the movement as a medicine to prevent falls.”

It is important to note that the exercises need to be fine-tuned to be gentler and suit their energy levels.

Here are 5 easy exercises Dr Pitchai listed:

1. Chair squats

• How to do: Place the chair against the wall for stability. Stand up from the chair and then sit back down in a controlled manner. It improves lower-body strength.
• Frequency: Do this for 10-15 repetitions, 2-3 sets per day, at least 3 times per week.
• Precautions: Avoid using a low-level chair. Avoid it if you have severe lower-body joint pain.

2. Wall push-ups

• How to do: Stand facing a wall, about an arm’s length away, place your hands on the wall at shoulder height, and perform push-ups. It improves upper-body strength.
• Frequency: Do this for 10-15 repetitions, 2-3 sets per day, at least 3 times per week.
• Precautions: Avoid if you have severe shoulder pain or any recent upper limb surgeries. Avoid breath-holding while doing push-ups.

3. Brisk walking

• How to do: Walk at a speed that is faster than your usual walk but still comfortable enough to maintain a conversation. It improves cardiovascular health and joint mobility.
• Frequency: 20-30 minutes per day, at least 5 times per week.
• Precautions: Avoid uneven or slippery surfaces, wear comfortable footwear.

4. Heel-to-toe walk

• How to do: Walk in a straight line, placing one foot directly in front of the other. It improves balance and coordination.
• Frequency: 5–10 steps forward, repeat 2–3 rounds, at least 3 times per week.
• Precautions: Take the support of a table or wall while walking. Avoid any severe balance problems or dizziness.

5. One-leg stand supported:

• How to do: Take the support of a table or wall for support, lift one foot slightly off the ground, and hold for 10-15 seconds. Repeat on the other leg. It improves balance and stability.
• Frequency:Repeat 2–3 times per side, at least 3–4 times per week.
• Precautions: Avoid if you have an unsteady gait or severe balance issue.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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News / Lifestyle / Health / Doctor reveals 5 physiotherapy exercises for older adults: Chair squats, wall push-ups and more

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Anxiety seeps into daily life. It disrupts focus at work, strains relationships, and turns even small tasks into stress triggers. Standard treatments are available, but they do not work for everyone.

Many people cannot tolerate antidepressants in the long term, while others see no real relief. This gap has researchers asking a bold question: can psychedelics like LSD help?

LSD tested for anxiety

A research team at MindMed in New York recently carried out the first modern trial of LSD for generalised anxiety disorder. The goal was to test whether a single dose could reduce symptoms when standard care fails.

LSD is famous for its hallucinogenic effects, but scientists believe it does more. It boosts serotonin, a chemical that influences mood, and may help the brain form new thought patterns that break cycles of fear and worry.

Why current anxiety care fails

Generalized anxiety disorder goes far beyond occasional stress. It causes constant, broad worry about money, relationships, health, and even everyday routines.

Current treatment usually combines therapy with drugs such as SSRIs. These options help some people, but many experience only modest improvement or none at all. Others cannot handle side effects like emotional numbness.

The fact that antidepressants only work while taken daily adds another layer of frustration.

LSD reduces anxiety symptoms

The study included 198 adults diagnosed with severe anxiety. Participants gradually stopped their medications before entering the trial, though those already in therapy continued.

The individuals rated their symptoms – such as worry, tension, and poor focus – on a standard scale. Average scores were 30 out of 56, well above the threshold that defines severe anxiety.

Participants were randomly split into five groups. Four groups received LSD in doses from 25 to 200 micrograms. One group received placebo pills.

The results were striking. Those who took 100 or 200 micrograms felt noticeable relief within a day.

A month later, their anxiety scores had dropped by about 20 points, and nearly half reached remission. In contrast, the lower doses offered no more benefit than the placebo.

The placebo effect

Even the placebo group improved somewhat. Their scores dropped by 14 to 17 points, and one in five achieved remission.

This outcome is common in anxiety studies, where the attention, care, and expectation built into a trial provide comfort.

Still, the higher-dose LSD groups clearly outperformed placebo group, showing that the drug itself delivered an additional benefit.

Side effects and complications

The trial also revealed side effects. Some participants reported nausea or headaches within hours of taking the drug. Hallucinations and changes in visual perception were more common at higher doses.

Many participants guessed correctly whether they had received LSD, making it harder to fully separate the psychological impact of knowing from the direct biological effects.

Yet the size of the improvement left researchers confident that LSD was responsible for more than expectation alone.

LSD for anxiety relief

Independent reviewers described the results as a major step forward. They considered the reductions in anxiety both statistically solid and clinically meaningful.

In plain terms, the drug offered relief big enough to make daily life easier, not just a small change on paper.

The experts emphasized that such outcomes matter most when improvements translate into real-world functioning, allowing people to work, connect socially, and manage daily responsibilities with far less distress and uncertainty.

What lies ahead

The findings convinced regulators as well. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted LSD therapy from MindMed a special status that speeds development of drugs with strong potential.

Larger and longer trials are now in progress, designed to track benefits beyond three months and to untangle whether improvements come mainly from brain chemistry or from the psychological weight of the psychedelic experience.

Lasting relief from a single dose

LSD is not ready to become a mainstream treatment. Outside of controlled studies, it can be unpredictable and sometimes risky. But this research adds to the growing evidence that psychedelics may hold medical value that was once dismissed.

For people with anxiety who gain little from standard care, the idea of lasting relief from a single dose represents more than hope – it signals a possible shift in how we think about treatment.

Researchers emphasize the need for ongoing trials to confirm safety, clarify long-term effects, and establish appropriate dosing. Still, the growing evidence points to a future where psychiatry could move beyond conventional medications and embrace once-unthinkable psychedelic-based therapies.

The study is published in the journal JAMA.

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