Jonathan Lee-Confer, PhD discusses the often-overlooked role of the upper extremities in preventing falls during slips or trips. He covers a variety of topics including counterbalance, coordinated arm-leg movement, reaction time, type 2 muscle fiber activation, and ballistic upper extremity muscle activation. He distinguishes between the reactions required during slip-induced falls (lateral) and trip-induced falls (forward). Jonathan advocates for a comprehensive, multimodal approach to fall prevention, integrating upper body and lower body exercises to optimize neuromuscular responses and reduce falls risk.
