What Therapists Do Not Know About Falling

I recently heard a doctor on TV say elderly people should not look down when they walk.  He said using vision to prevent falls weakens the balance system.  Yet stroke survivors look down because even tiny obstacles can be dangerous.  Here is an example.  I had a terrible fall while walking on a slate walkway.  I fell after I stubbed my toe on the edge of a tile that was tilted up about an inch. Thank God I did not fall forward and smack my forehead on the slate sidewalk.  I instinctively dropped my cane and threw my sound arm forward to try to catch myself.  This sudden arm movement rotated my body slightly to the right so I fell on the grass.  I hit the ground so hard I had dirt and pieces of grass caught under my glasses after my face hit the lawn.

Therapists may not know how violently stroke survivors can fall.  Human subjects committees would not allow researchers to put test subjects on a tilt plate that can cause a sudden fall without first putting test subjects in a safety harness.  PTs have to be conservative when they walk stroke survivors because they cannot have anyone fall on their watch.  homeafterastroke.blogspot.com