Accidental fall

From Citizendium
Revision as of 07:48, 17 October 2007 by imported>Larry Sanger (Title should be singular)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

An accidental fall is defined as a fall "due to slipping or tripping which result in injury".[1]

Falls in the elderly

Causes

Buckling, or sudden giving way, of the knees is associated with osteoarthritis of the knees and quadriceps muscle weakness.[2]

Treatment

One randomized controlled trial reported that tai chi, one hour per week for 16 weeks, can prevent falls in patients aged 60 or more.[3]

References

  1. Accidental Falls. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  2. Felson DT, Niu J, McClennan C, et al (2007). "Knee buckling: prevalence, risk factors, and associated limitations in function". Ann. Intern. Med. 147 (8): 534–40. PMID 17938391[e]
  3. Voukelatos A, Cumming RG, Lord SR, Rissel C (2007). "A randomized, controlled trial of tai chi for the prevention of falls: the Central Sydney tai chi trial". Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 55 (8): 1185–91. DOI:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01244.x. PMID 17661956. Research Blogging.