FEAR OF FALLING

A recent article in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society authored by a Dutch physician studied the syndrome known as Fear of Falling (FoF) which occurs in individuals who suffer a hip fracture. The articles focused on how fear of falling may impact upon the ability of an individual to recover from a hip fracture based upon the clearly understandable fear or apprehension that he or she is going to fall again if they exercise or walk. The author noted that there are few studies in medicine that address the concept of fear of falling, a symptom that is almost sure to exist in any individual who has suffered a hip fracture. Jan Visschedijk, M.D., “Fear of Falling After Hip Fracture: A Systematic Review of Measurement Instruments, Prevalence, Interventions, and Related Factors,” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 58:1739-1748, 2010.