Due to the nature of Parkinson’s disease, falls are a fairly common occurrence mainly due to instability with the posture and impaired gait. It has a host of complications as would frequent falls in any person, irrespective of Parkinson’s disease. However, bearing in mind that most Parkinson’s disease patients are older, the impact of these frequent falls can have severe consequences. Understanding the dangers associated with frequent falls and minimizing it  is of the utmost importance.

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Due to the gradually progressive nature of the disease and its various complications, falls are very common in Parkinson’s disease. By following some simple safety tips many of these falls and injuries may be prevented. The typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease such as rigidity, impaired balance and slowness of movement all contribute to this tendency to fall. Bending forwards while walking with short shuffling steps, difficulty in maintaining balance while turning and freezing or stopping in mid step increase the chances of falling in a patient with Parkinson’s disease. Postural hypotension (sudden fall of blood pressure on standing) may occur as a side effect of medications, causing dizziness and increasing the risk of falling.
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