Falling and Fractures

Filed in archive Osteoporosis on May 28, 2007

This article got my attention. The woman in it could well be me. The story, from Osteo-Solutions, reads, in part:

My mother fell again last week. This is her fourth fall in the last few years. Given the condition of her bones with fractures through all her vertebrae, she sustained very minor damage.

I'm in my seventies and have severe osteoporosis. Nut my falls have been more frequent. I've fallen half a dozen times in the past couple of years. I've been lucky. Until the last fall, I've suffered no fractures. I put my falls down to my own carelessness. In my last fall, off a step coming out of a store, I broke three ribs.

I guess it's time to be more careful. According to Women's Health Research News:

Falling is the 14th leading cause of death of elderly people. Many people fall as they age due to vision loss, inner ear and other balance problems and strength loss.