How Dangerous Are Falls?

We hear frequently about the need to take precautions against falling, but if you’re like me, you don’t heed warnings until something happens.

A few years ago I was hurrying across the parking lot at work, hands full of folders, keys, and phone, and suddenly I fell. I didn’t trip or turn my ankle; I wasn’t dizzy or lightheaded. That fall resulted in a broken right wrist with subsequent surgery and extensive physical therapy.

When I saw my rheumatologist at a routine visit, she immediately insisted that I had osteoporosis and needed to start on medication. I knew I had osteopenia and wanted to wait for my next bone scan (every two years) before proceeding. She was disturbed, insisting that the functional diagnosis for osteoporosis is a fall from a standing position that results in a broken bone. I prevailed and waited six months for the confirmation of osteoporosis by DEXA scan.

Even then I refused her recommendation of an annual infusion, preferring instead a low-dose oral medication weekly. My rheumatologist tried to convince me of the danger, saying that a broken hip is the most common cause of death in older women. I had heard something similar before. Often a broken hip is the “beginning of the end.” Besides the risk of post-surgical infection or blood clots, the older person likely loses independence and mobility, which trigger a slew of other problems. Pneumonia is frequently the ending.

A couple of years after that, I fell again outside my son’s apartment late one night. I picked myself up, drove home, and wrapped and iced my left wrist. It was another crisis time with his illness and I didn’t have time to do anything else. It was 10 days later when a caring individual insisted that I go for an X-ray; my left wrist was indeed broken.

This time my doctor again insisted on the infusion and again I refused. I wasn’t just being stubborn. I know how sensitively my body reacts to medication and it was frightening that a substance would be in my body for a year. There was already too much stress in my life right then.

Still, two broken wrists did get my attention. I added a food-based calcium supplement to my regimen (which I continue to take religiously three times a day, along with low-dose Fosamax). It’s pricey, but it makes more sense to me to ingest calcium from an algae source than from a limestone rock.

The other regimen is physical activity. I’ve always walked, but now when I’m on the track, I think about bending my knees to keep from developing a habit of shuffling. I do a weekly strength and conditioning class programmed for seniors. Besides building strength, it focuses on balance, peripheral vision, and rhythm. Regular yoga practice helps keep my spine and joints flexible.

Other tips I’ve incorporated:
• Holding onto bannisters going up and down stairs
• Keeping areas well-lit and pathways clear of small objects
• Having grab bars in my bathroom
• Not standing on a chair to reach a cabinet
• Keeping my phone within reach at all times

For more information, the National Institute of Health site at nia.nih.gov is a good source.

My last bone density scan showed I was back in the osteopenia range. I’ll take it—and keep doing what I’m doing.