Senior Falls Are a $50 Billion Problem

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Several factors contribute to an adequate balance confidence and control, and consequently promote mobility and prevent falls. Essential factors are reliable sensory information from the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive and mechanoreceptive systems; a well-functioning central nervous system (CNS) with feedback and feed forward loops able to withstand external and internal volitions; as well as adequate musculoskeletal strength and sufficient range of motion in the joints for adequate movement (Horak, 2006). Factors that can impair balance control are, for example, pain, cognitive impairment, and fear of falling (Howe, Rochester, Neil, Skelton, & Ballinger, 2011). Moreover, age-related degeneration and a variety of diseases, more common with older age, can afflict all functions and systems involved in balance control (Li et al., 2015; Rosenhall, 1973).