On 12/22/12, pawan kumar <[email protected]> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Kaifi Azmi <[email protected]> > Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2012 18:10:49 +0530 > Subject: [SayEverything] Increased Risk of Fall Accident Begins at Age 40 > To: sayeverything <[email protected]> > > One of the main health concerns of elderly people is falling, which is > often related to poor balance. In fact, many studies show that people > begin to have balance problems starting at the age of 40 years. > > The older you get, the weaker your physical body and sensory abilities > will be, which are all factors in having poor balance. > > > > In Japan, more than 7,000 people a year die from falling accidents, > which already exceeds the number of traffic accidents. > > In this article, we'll examine in more details the cause of falling > and why you lose balance as you age. > > ## Test Your Balance by Standing on One Leg > > You can determine how good your balance is by measuring the length of > time that you can stand on one leg. > > > > The following table shows the average balance time by age group in a > study conducted at a Japanese health institute. > > Average time with eyes open > > 20-39 years old: 110 seconds > 40-49: 64 seconds > 50-59: 36 seconds > 60-69: 25 seconds > > Average time with eyes closed > > 20-39 years old: 12 seconds > 40-49: 7 seconds > 50-59: 5 seconds > 60-69: less than 3 seconds > > If your balance time is below average, then you'll have higher risk of > falls, or slipping and tripping accidents. > > In the above study, women tend to lose their balance more than men but > only by a small margin (1-2%). From this study, it is also evident > that there's a sudden significant decrease in the ability to maintain > balance among middle-aged people (40 years and above). > > Please take note that the numbers stated above are only average. There > are people who were able to maintain balance much longer, and there > are also those who were only able to maintain their balance at much > shorter time regardless of age and gender. The reason why they vary is > explained further below. > > ## The Soles of Your Feet Have Sensors > > The skins all throughout your body have significant amount of tiny > pressure sensors or mechanoreceptors. Some areas have few pressure > sensors, while other areas have thousands, like on the soles of your > feet. > > > > The pressure sensors on the foot soles provide information to your > brain to help balance your body. As you get older, the sensors will > get weaker and your foot sole lose sensitivity. But there are also > other factors that can lead to weaker pressure sensors. > > ## Poor Blood Circulation Can Disrupt the Pressure Sensors > > In our study, people are almost twice as likely to be in a fall > accident caused by poor blood circulation. > > This can be simulated by soaking your feet into ice cold water for > about 3 minutes. Because of the cold temperature, the pressure sensors > on the foot sole begin to lose sensitivity. > > ## Pay Attention to Your Forward-Moving Foot > > If your forward-moving foot hit something, your body will be > off-balance causing you to fall or trip. > > Well, it's a matter of common sense to always have your eyes on path > and watch where you are going. Remember the old adages - "Prevention > is better than cure", "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of > cure", "Look before you leap", etc.? > > But that's not the only problem. Here are the other two major reasons > why you stumble while walking. > > 1. Your forward-moving foot is pointed down. > > If your foot is pointed down while making a step, then you are more > prone to falling. To avoid this, your forefoot or toes should be > flexed upwards as shown on the image below. > > > > 2. You walk like a pendulum. > > The height of your step can greatly increase your risk of falling. To > prevent this, your forward-moving foot must be higher off the ground > (at least 5 cm) while the knee is raised high as shown on the image > below. > > > > Actually, all the mechanoreceptors located throughout your body as > well as the soles of your feet are sending information to the brain > that include muscle contractions and joint angles. > > When this information is not transmitted well to your brain, which > happens as you get older, then the movement will get weak or > ineffective making it hard for you to maintain your foot higher off > the ground. > > ## How to Prevent Yourself from a Fall, Trip, or Slip > > 1. Keep Your House Clean > > There are a lot of things in your house that can contribute to > clutters that can cause you to trip or fall. Always make sure to put > away or store properly all personal belongings and other unnecessary > things even if it is only a newspaper, remote control, and laundries > scattered on the floor or carpet. > > 2. Stretch Your Feet and Ankles > > You might think that your feet do not need exercise or stretching > compared to other parts of your body, but in reality, feet stretching > exercise can really help your feet maintain balance. > > 3. Keep Your House Warm and Ensure Adequate Lighting > > Cold muscles and pressure sensors work less well and are less > responsive to signals. A decreased temperature will also cause your > muscles to have less strength and less flexible, which can lead to > accidents. > > Always try to keep your house warm or wear proper clothes and > footwear, especially during winter. Since most falls occur indoors, > make sure your house has adequate lighting. > http://www.pyroenergen.com/articles12/fall-accident.htm > > > -- > Kaifi Azmi > Email: [email protected] > Skype: kaifiazmi > Facebook: > http://www.facebook.com/kaifi2012 > > If any time you wish to be unsubscribed from our Mailing List, please > send a message to > [email protected] > with the subject unsubscribe keeping the message body blank. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://sayeverything.org/mailman/listinfo/sayeverything_sayeverything.org > > Website: http://www.sayeverything.org >
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