Children fall down all the time, but they immediately get up and throw themselves right back into what they were doing sometimes in even more reckless abandon. However, as people age, falling down can become potentially dangerous and at times even deadly.
A neurological specialist working at the University of Rochester thinks that certain seniors are fearful of falling down that they subconsciously develop a distinct walk or posture to prevent themselves from falling. They even gave this posture or walk a certain name: the “fear of falling” gait.
Your mind is an extremely powerful organ capable of manifesting what it perceives to be something occurring in real time. This very imagining can result in an uncertain and fearful walking stance,which even more will likely lead to the fearful event of falling.
So powerful are the trembling anxieties of a fall that some elderly people have even been wrongly diagnosed as suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
These days, US physicians are urged to question their older patients about falls they have recently experienced before diagnosing a neurological condition and prescribing needless drugs.
Sensible Solutions
The Chinese people are famous for having old people who are generally in good health. This is the country where Tai Chi is widely practiced by tens of millions of people.
Here in the West, the elderly are encouraged to learn a few basic Tai Chi exercises for just a few weeks to enhance or maintain their flexibility and confidence.
Learning Tai Chi will not only improve the walking and balance of the elderly, it can also help strengthen their joints and ankles and relieve some of their pains and aches as well.
Danielle DeVivo is a licensed acupuncturist in Saratoga Springs, NY with advanced training in modern acupuncture techniques and traditional Asian therapies.