READER’S DIGEST
May• 2019 | 39this reduces your ability to regain your
balance if you stumble. Remember
that your balance can also be thrown
off by a heavy suitcase or backpack.
PREPARE YOUR
ENVIRONMENT
Secure loose rugs or remove them.
Make sure the tops and bottoms of
staircases are lit. Clean up spills
immediately. Install safety bars and
put down traction strips in show-
ers, and treat slick surfaces such as
smooth marble floors with anti-slip
coatings.
IMPROVE YOUR GEAR
Wear good shoes with tread. Don’t
wear high heels on slippery surfac-
es. Wear a helmet when cycling, ski-
ing, and skateboarding. Use a cane
or a walker if required. Hike with a
walking stick. And get a hearing aid
if you need one. “Individuals with
hearing loss had more difficulty with
balance and gait and showed signif-
icant improvement when they had a
hearing aid,” says Linda Thibodeau,
a professor at the Advanced Hearing
Research Center in Texas.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Drugs, alcohol and even sleep depri-
vation can affect balance and coordi-
nation, making them a factor in falls.
If you feel light-headed or faint, sit
down immediately. Don’t worry that
someone might think you are weak or
that you are being rude; you can get
back up once you’ve established you
are not going to lose consciousness.
Eat a balanced diet to support
bone density and muscle strength,
especially if you are older, so that
you are less likely to be injured if you
do fall. A 2015 study of more than
12,000 elderly French people found
connections between poor nutri-
tion, falling and fractures. Strength
training helps, too. Lower body
strength is important for recovering
from slips; upper body strength for
surviving falls.IF YOU FALL, PROTECT
YOUR HEAD AND ROLL
Scientists studying falls are developing
‘safe landing responses’ to help limit
damage. If you are falling, first protect
your head. Fight trainers, who train
actors, and parachute jump coaches
encourage people not to fall straight
forwards or backwards. The key is to
roll and try to let the fleshy side parts
of your body absorb the impact.
“Don’t reach back for the f loor
with your hands,” says Chuck Coyl,
fight director at the Lyric Opera of
Chicago, describing how he tells
actors to fall onstage.
“Distribute the weight on the calf,
thigh, into the glutes, rolling on the
outside of your leg as opposed to
falling straight back.”THIS IS AN EDITED VERSION OF AN ARTICLE FIRST PUBLISHED BY WELLCOME ON MOSAICSCIENCE.COM
AND IS REPUBLISHED HERE UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS LICENCE.