We all fall down…
At some point, we all trip, stumble and perhaps fall. Thankfully, in most cases, falling over may result in a few bruises to body and ego, but for older adults (usually defined as those over 65 years of age), falling over – or “having a fall” – can have potentially serious health consequences and in some instances be fatal.
According to the National Health Service (NHS), about a third of older adults will have at least one fall per year, increasing to 50% for those over 80 years of age. And the World Health Organisation (WHO) states that of the 684,000 fatal falls per year, the majority will be suffered by adults over 60 years of age.
Programmes to prevent falls in older adults are important health interventions. Such programmes are often multi-faceted and can include exercise, ensuring a safe home environment, monitoring medical conditions and (prescribed) drug use, nutritional supplementation and looking after individuals’ vision and hearing.
Preventing falls is undoubtedly a good thing, but some programmes now also focus on teaching people to fall safely and reduce their risk of injury. The Japanese martial art of judo forms the basis of many of these, including the new Finding Your Feet programme from British Judo, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Hertfordshire. Here is a recent article from the BBC News page regarding Finding Your Feet. It’s all good stuff!
Judo – often translated as the “gentle way”- involves throwing your opponent to the ground, and one of the first things people learn when starting judo is how to fall safely when thrown. Using ukemi (breakfalls) when being thrown helps to reduce the forces that go through your body when it hits the ground and helps judoka (judo athletes) to get up injury-free from high-force throws that have been likened to car crashes.
Studies from Sweden and Australia that have taught older adults modified ukemi (alongside strength, mobility and balance exercises and practising getting up from the floor) found that these programmes are feasible and safe, improve ukemi ability and increase physical capacities associated with the risk of falling. Such judo-based programmes do not necessarily require you to wear a judogi (judo suit) and do not involve any of the more combative elements of the martial art. But if the thought of taking to the tatami (judo mat) is off-putting, there is good evidence that exercise – particularly strength, balance and functional training – also reduces the frequency of falls in older adults. So, whether it is judo-based or otherwise, exercise is a must for helping us stay upright. And, for a deeper dive into the evidence and strategies for the Finding your Feet initiative, and other Judo-related approaches for reducing the impact of falls, have a look at the Herts Sport and Physical Activity Partnership’s Live Longer Better in Hertfordshire Masterclass: Falling for Judo webinar video on YouTube. Finally, when we do fall, especially those of us of the older generation, it’s good to know how to best get up again… Here are some recommendations from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
Please do take a look at the links in this guest blog, and share with anyone who you think might benefit. If you want to learn more about exercise programmes to help reduce your risk of falling please do be in touch via this website.
Dr Paul Robertson is a 1st dan judoka and the editor of Grappling: Art & Science, a digital magazine that aims to make research accessible for those involved in judo and other grappling-based sports (https://issuu.com/grapplingartandscience). Paul has taught on sport-based undergraduate and postgraduate university programmes, published sport and exercise science research, and contributed to musculoskeletal injury and rehabilitation textbooks.
We hope you found this interesting. Stay tuned, keep well, and maybe we’ll see you later : ))
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