Severe foot pain linked to recurrent falls among older adults

Washington DC: A new study has found that severe foot pain is related to a higher incidence of recurrent falls.

The study also extend to those diagnosed with planus foot posture or flat feet, indicating that both foot pain and foot posture may play a role in recurrent falls among older adults.

Researchers, using data from the Framingham Foot study, have found that foot pain and foot posture were not associated with any one fall; however, in the case of multiple falls, foot pain and foot posture were often a factor.

Marian Hannan, Co -Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center at the Institute for Aging Research and Associate Professor of Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health said, "We know that having more than one fall can be of concern. Many don`t think of feet as the culprit. However, higher odds of recurrent falls were seen for those with foot pain, especially severe foot pain, as well as those with planus foot posture, indicating that both foot pain and foot posture may play a role in falls."

"This is important because falls are a serious problem for older adults. They are a leading cause of hospitalization and often lead to a loss of independence, a decrease in quality of life, and sometimes death. With this new knowledge we hope to find more solutions to lessen the risk of falls in older adults," said Lead author Arunima Awale, Research Associate at Hebrew Senior Life`s Institute for Aging Research.

More than 30 percent of individuals over the age of 65 fall at least once a year.

This figure increases to over 40% for persons aged 75 years or older.

As a result of this study, scientists are hopeful that by lessening the instance of foot pain in older adults they can significantly reduce hospitalizations and loss of independence for American seniors.

The findings was published in the journal Gerontology.

(With ANI inputs)