Not only blood pressure falling?
We have seen many falls in the field of physical therapy.
We have seen falls from tripping over the cat on the stairs.
We have seen falls down flights of stairs.
We have seen falls from catching the foot on the scatter rug.
We have seen falls in bathtubs.
What happens when we fall?
We seem to get more fearful of falling. What happens after this? We usually tell ourselves not to do much because we now are worried that we are going to fall.
What happens to us with this thinking? We tend to sit around a lot because we are afraid to fall. Our muscles are becoming weaker the more we sit. Our lungs and rib area muscles get less work. We have a hard time getting to the kitchen to take our blood pressure medication.
This link is to a large study of 4,961 participants older than 70 years with hypertension (high blood pressure). The study conclusion was that medication for high blood pressure was associated with an increased risk of serious fall injuries, especially with previous fall injuries.
Much information is unknown when patients are on greater than just a few medications, as medications can interfere with each other in unpredictable ways. Also, people that are getting older have different reactions to the medications.
Our clinical expertise does support the findings of this study.
Having a list of medications to review is very important. Many people think to themselves that because the healthcare provider prescribed it that it cannot be wrong.
What we have seen is that it takes good communication to the healthcare prescriber about the symptoms patients may develop after being put on blood pressure medication.
Improved communication can reduce the risk of falls in patients on medication.
Why is this important? Because falls are associated with a large increase in disability causing a decreased quality and often duration of life.
GeriTraK….keeping you informed to ask the right questions
GeriTraK. Good To Know