People who rely on wheelchair or motorized scooters are at risk for falls that can change their lives When they are hurt in a fall, researchers say, fear of injury leads some stop to doing activities When their activity declines, so does their physical capacity, increasing the odds of another fall TUESDAY, August 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) — When people who use wheelchairs or motorized scooters get hurt in a fall, fear that it will happen again may keep them on the sidelines of life, a new study warns. may cause minor bruises and scrapes or result in broken bones and other more serious injuries. While many researchers have studied falls among people who are ambulatory and have conditions like Parkinson's disease, few have looked at falls among those who rely on assistive devices most or all of the time.
More than 5 million Americans use a motorized scooter or wheelchair to get around. Those who use them 40 hours or more a week often find obstacles in their way, which sometimes cause them to fall, new research shows. "While a cut or scrape may seem minor, for someone with diminished sensation, that can quickly turn into a bigger problem," said study leader , a professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The new study — recently published in the journal — analyzed data from an online survey completed by 156 people. All used a wheelchair or scooter full-time and had fallen at least once in the past three years. Respondents included .