Over the past 5 years there has been a lot of new research published about falling in the older adult population. Virtually every hospital, retirement village and nursing home has a falls prevention program, however falls remain prevalent today.

The risk factors of falling are divided into two categories

• Intrinsic Risk Factors

  1. General health and functioning
  2. Medical conditions
  3. Musculosketal and neuromuscular
  4. Sensory
  5. Balance
  6. Gait or walking speed
  7. Cognitive changes
  8. Multiple Medications

• Extrinsic Risk Factors

  1. Situational factors
  2. Environmental factors

A recent article by Papa EV, et al in the September 2015 issue of Clinical biomechanics investigated the effects acute muscle fatigue has on lower leg mechanics during simulated falls.  The results indicated that there were significant alterations of the stepping leg in the presence of acute muscle fatigue and increased falls risk.

These changes appeared to resolve within 15 minutes and have important implications for activities of daily living and older…