fall in age and stroke patients.

Investigators at the Institute for Aging Research, a research group based at Harvard-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife, a long-term care facility in Boston, have found that foot pain seems to be a bigger factor in indoor falls than in outdoor falls. Other researchers have linked foot pain to a slow gait and poor balance, which is perhaps just what you'd expectThree exercises to shape up your feet illustration of rubber band stretch exercise 1. Place a large rubber or elastic band around the end of your big toes and gently rotate your feet away from each other with your heels on the ground. This exercise is for people with mild bunions (hallux valgus). The goal is to increase the range of motion in the metatarsophalangeal joint affected by the bunion rather than actually correcting the bunion.2. Place a resistance band — a large stretchy band used for exercises — around the leg of a table. Rotate your ankle so you stretch the band out, away from the table leg. This exercise strengthens the ankle muscles, particularly the tibialis posterior muscle3. Pick up small stones or marbles with your toes. This exercise strengthens the muscles that contribute to the tendency for toes to curl in old age.These kinds of reviews have their limitations. Some interventions, like vitamin D pills, are much easier to test in a clinical trial than others. And there's certainly enough experience, evidence, and common sense available to offer a few suggestions about feet and fall prevention.Choose your shoes wisely — and wear them. Any number of running and walking shoes are wide, roomy, and stretchy enough to keep older feet comfortable, stable, and supported. They did find, though, that people who wore shoes indoors were less likely to suffer a serious injury from a fall than those who padded around in slippers or socks or went barefoot. So shoes do seem to help with balance and support, and you're more likely to wear them if they're comfortable. Studies have linked being overweight or obese to foot pain and other foot problems.