Walking and balance disorders in the elderly.

• 70% of 90 years olds have normal walking, gait and balance!

• Most older people walk briskly and steadily with normal posture and balance without any help or walking aid!

• “Ageing” does not cause impairment of walking and balance.

• We must distinguish normal ageing from disease!

• The typical but abnormal neuro-degenerative walking and balance disorder that I commonly see in the elderly and those who recurrently fall include-

  • a wide base of stance,

  • smaller steps,

  • diminished arm swing,

  • flexed posture,

  • flexion of the hips and knees,

  • very slow movements,difficulty getting out of a chair,

  • the time taken to get up from a chair, walk 3 metres, get back and sit down again is very long, much more than the normal 15 seconds,

  • multiple steps with turning,

  • generally unsteady without a walking aid.

  • have great difficulty standing straight with their feet together,

  • have a massive fear of falling,

  • tending to go backwards with loss of balance, 

  • they can't do the heel/toe walk. 

  • Some of these patients with a flexed posture and slowed up will develop Parkinson's, but not all.

• The slowing of walking and balance is a very reliable predictor of falls, increased risk for dementia and institutional care without a proper diagnosis, attention and treatment. 

• Why do I feel off-balance but not dizzy?- because of a multifactorial gait and balance disorder that requires proper diagnosis and treatment.

• These abnormal gait and balance disorers can be successfully treated with an accurate diagnosis of the underlying causes and holistic multidisciplinary care.

  For more information read Dr Peter Lipski’s book “Your Elderly Parents Failing Health. Is It Ageing Or A Treatable Condition”.