Occasionally tripping or falling over is quite commonplace. As we age, falls can become a real problem: just over one-third of people over the age of 65 suffer a dangerous fall each year, many of them injuring themselves. Even younger people can have a variety of conditions that increase their risk of falling.
Causes
Many health conditions can cause the risk of falling to increase beyond normal levels. These generally include circulatory problems, low blood pressure, visual problems, or a stooped posture. Symptoms such as dizziness, unsteady gait, impaired coordination, sensory disturbances, pain on movement or decreasing muscle strength can promote falls. This can also be caused by conditions that impair nerve function such as polyneuropathy, which is particularly common in diabetes, or other diseases of the nervous system such as Parkinson’s disease, a stroke, dementia (see also Alzheimer’s disease) or epilepsy.
