BMJ  2008;336:343-344 (16 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.39486.471678.3A

Letters

Preventing falls

Try the stork challenge

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Järvinen et al say that the risk of falls remains largely overlooked in clinical practice because it is difficult to assess.¹ We developed an exercise walkway for patients to use during outpatient visits. This consists of a series of 10 balance, breathing, and stretching exercises. The walkway starts and finishes with the "stork test": a static balance test on one leg, with closed eyes. How long a person can stand on one leg, with eyes closed, is a direct measure of his or her balance and hence their risk of falls.² We introduced the stork test to engage and motivate people to continue exercising.

We piloted the walkway with 108 people (57 patients, 16 relatives, 35 staff; 28 male; mean age 55 (13-85)). With the help of a trained volunteer, participants completed the walkway exercises and answered an anonymous questionnaire, documenting the stork test measurements and asking about demographics, previous . . . [Full text of this article]

¹ Rheumatology Department, Great Western Hospital, Swindon SN6 3BB

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Related Article

Shifting the focus in fracture prevention from osteoporosis to falls

Teppo L N Järvinen, Harri Sievänen, Karim M Khan, Ari Heinonen, and Pekka Kannus
BMJ 2008 336: 124-126. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]