A new study reports that medium to high level of low back pain correlates with higher risk of falls. 2,738 older adults aged ≥60  were enrolled in a cohort observational study and level of low back pain-related disability was assessed divided into three categories (none, low, and medium to high). Incidence of falls over the following…

Many times we see our loved ones in hospital and/or nursing homes with a bed or chair alarm attached to alert the nursing staff that the patient is getting up and may fall. This is done usually for patient who are at high risk of falls due to decreased safety awareness. Intuitively this makes sense:…

Neck Pain and Falls It is our privilege to shed some light upon poorly appreciated implications of common neck pain. We hope some of this information can help you, the reader, and/or your loved ones. Cervical (neck) pain can be caused by many different things, including disc disease, “pulled muscles,” tension, and more. One common…

Shoes can make a big difference for preventing falls. Shoe has to fit well. Make sure the soles and heels are not rubbed out. Insole is the part of the shoe that the foot is directly touching. Insoles that provide arch support can help those with flat feet and at times can help prevent foot…

Steps Are there papers, shoes, books, or other objects on the stairs? Always keep objects off the stairs. Are some steps broken or uneven? Fix loose or uneven steps. Is there a light and light switch at the top and bottom of the stairs?  Have an electrician put in an overhead light and light switch…

Brain injury patients are at high risk of falls. Falls cause brain injury. In older adults, falls contributed to 61% of all injuries and resulted in especially high mortality (J Trauma Manag Outcomes. 2009;3:9. Published 2009 Jul 30). Inpatient traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients are at an increased risk of falls. A recent article showed…

Many of our patients believe that there is a safe way to fall. Here are some of the recommendations that have been circulated… If you do fall, try to not tense up (in practice this is easier said than done, of course), protect your head. If possible try to avoid backwards falls. Police officers are…

First of all, we recommend using wearable fall alarm systems that sound automatically instead of those that need a button to press as at times one may lose consciousnesses before/during/after a fall. If you don’t want to invest into one, carry your cell phone on you at all times so you can call to ask…

As men age, their testosterone levels drop which has been associated with reduced muscle mass and strength contributing to impaired mobility and resulting in increased fall risk. International Study on osteoporotic fractures in men showed that low total serum and bioavailable levels of testosterone are associated with risk of falls in men over 65 years…

Most of us know that muscle weakness, balance deficits, nerve damage, dementia are risk factors for falls. Few know that kidney disease is also a risk factor. A recent review article documented that with worsening stage of kidney disease (stages are usually classified as Stage I (one) through V (five)) risk of falls and fractures,…