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Chapter 8 - Gait impairment and falls

from Section II - Geriatric syndromes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2016

By
Daina L. Sturnieks  and
Catherine Sherrington
Edited by
Jan Busby-Whitehead ,
Christine Arenson ,
Samuel C. Durso ,
Daniel Swagerty ,
Laura Mosqueda ,
Maria Fiatarone Singh  and
William Reichel
Jan Busby-Whitehead
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina
Christine Arenson
Affiliation:
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
Samuel C. Durso
Affiliation:
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Daniel Swagerty
Affiliation:
University of Kansas
Laura Mosqueda
Affiliation:
University of Southern California
Maria Fiatarone Singh
Affiliation:
University of Sydney
William Reichel
Affiliation:
Georgetown University, Washington DC
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Summary

Falls are common in the older adult population, and balance and mobility problems are important fall risk factors. Clinical conditions give rise to gait, balance, and mobility impairments. However, normal aging may also impact sensorimotor function, increasing the risk of falls as well as leading to poor recovery from slips and trips. Gait impairments, including observational and objectively measured changes, are associated with poor health outcomes. Exercise interventions can enhance gait in certain clinical groups. Furthermore, interventions including exercise can prevent falls in the general older community. The effectiveness of exercise-based fall prevention interventions in people with particular health conditions known to increase the risk of falls requires further investigation.
Type
Chapter
Information
Reichel's Care of the Elderly
Clinical Aspects of Aging
 , pp. 107 - 115
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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