FRIDAY, Dec. 27, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- A Virginia Tech researcher is trying to find out why so many elderly people fall so that he can find ways to prevent a serious health threat.
Falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths among Americans over the age of 75 and the second leading cause of death for Americans aged 45 to 75, says the National Safety Council.
The health consequences of falls are well known, but the actual reason why so many elderly people fall is still unclear.
Thurmon Lockhart is an assistant professor of industrial systems engineering, with a background in biomechanics and human motor control. He's trying to learn more about why elderly people are so prone to falls.
For his research, Lockhart is fitting 60 young and old volunteers into a special harness and a network of sensors that test musculoskeletal and neuromuscular changes and biomechanical responses when the volunteers slip and recover.
The volunteers walk back and forth along a platform in the laboratory. Without warning, a slippery solution is poured beneath their feet. They slip and then recover. The harness prevents them from actually falling.
The sensors record the information about the body motions during the slip and recovery, and that information is entered into a computer model.
This is just one aspect of Lockhart's research into falls.
If you're concerned about falls, Lockhart offers some advice on how to prevent falls in and around your home:
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about falls and the elderly.