Unhappy Feet [View all]

It was a long article in the AARP Bulletin from May. It mentioned how aging feet misbehave: less blood flow, muscle and skeletal issues, slower nail and skin grown and weakened immune system that can lead to fungus and cracked skin.

What caught my eye was about the nerves, that foot sensitivity declines, making it more difficult to determine how hard we strike the ground or whether walking on an uneven surface, risking falls.

Ah-ha, I thought, this is what happened to me two years ago. I was walking outside on the sidewalks/trails which, of course, are uneven. I proudly climbed a steep street - the highest point in the county, I've heard. And, then of course, came the steep decline. And all of a sudden I found myself falling, unable to stop. My body was already in the decline. The only thing that I tried was to fall on the grass on the side. Still scraped my knee and my hand and really hurt my upper arm and shoulder when instinctively set it down to block the fall. No, this is not the way to block a fall, I now know.

So now I am careful of where I put my foot and walk small steps on a downhill.