How Can You Prevent Falls and Slips?

Falls can happen to anyone, but the risk tends to increase with age, reduced strength or balance, poor vision, unsuitable footwear, hazards around the home and slippery surfaces such as ice.

The good news is that many falls are preventable.

Simple changes such as improving strength and balance, wearing suitable footwear, keeping walkways clear, paying attention to your surroundings and taking extra care on slippery surfaces can all help reduce your risk.

And if you do have a fall, knowing what to do afterwards is just as important.

NCTV Episode 122: What does this video cover?

In this bitesize episode, I look at:

🧊 How to walk safely on icy or slippery surfaces
🐧 Why the “penguin walk” can help
👟 Why footwear matters
💪 How strength and balance can reduce fall risk
🏠 Simple ways to make your home safer
👀 Why vision is important
🩹 What to do if you do fall
🤲 How osteopathy and movement-based therapies may help

Watch NCTV Episode 122

Prefer to read? Here’s the advice from the episode in full.

Why is fall prevention important?

A fall can be much more than a minor inconvenience.

It can result in injuries such as bruises, sprains, fractures, head injuries and soft-tissue injuries. For older adults in particular, a fall can sometimes lead to a loss of confidence and reduced activity afterwards.

And that can create an unfortunate cycle:

Fall → fear of falling → less activity → reduced strength and balance → greater vulnerability to another fall.

The aim of fall prevention isn’t to make you frightened of falling.

It’s to help you stay strong, mobile and confident enough to keep doing the things you enjoy.

How can you walk safely on ice?

Winter is an obvious time to think about falls.

When pavements become icy, your normal walking technique needs a little adjustment.

One useful approach is the “penguin walk”:

Take shorter steps
Slow your pace
Keep your knees slightly soft
Keep your centre of gravity over your feet
Take your time when changing direction

It isn’t particularly glamorous.

But if the alternative is an unscheduled meeting between your backside and the pavement, glamour can probably take the morning off.

Avoid sudden movements

Ice becomes particularly hazardous when you suddenly:

Turn
Stop
Speed up
Change direction
Step onto an unexpected slippery patch

Slow and deliberate movements give you more opportunity to react.

And if a particular route looks dangerously icy, consider whether you actually need to take it.

Sometimes the safest fall-prevention strategy is simply choosing another route.

What footwear is best for preventing slips?

Your footwear can make a surprisingly big difference.

When conditions are slippery, look for shoes or boots with good grip and a sole that’s in good condition.

Be particularly cautious with:

Smooth soles
Worn-down tread
Loose-fitting footwear
Shoes that make you feel unstable
High or unstable heels

And remember that even excellent footwear has its limits.

No shoe can guarantee grip on every patch of black ice.

Should you keep your hands out of your pockets?

Yes, particularly when walking on slippery or uneven surfaces.

If your hands are buried in your coat pockets, you have less ability to use your arms for balance or protect yourself if you lose your footing.

Instead:

Keep your hands available
Avoid looking at your phone whilst walking
Pay attention to the surface ahead
Use a torch when visibility is poor

It sounds obvious, but distracted walking is surprisingly easy to do.

The message is simple:

Eyes up, hands free and pay attention to where you’re putting your feet.

How can strength and balance help prevent falls?

Fall prevention isn’t just about avoiding hazards.

Your body’s ability to react when something unexpected happens matters too.

Good strength, mobility and balance can help you deal with uneven ground, a trip, a change in direction or a sudden loss of stability.

Useful areas to work on include:

Leg strength
Hip strength
Core strength
Ankle mobility
Single-leg balance
General coordination

You don’t necessarily need specialist equipment.

Simple exercises such as sit-to-stands, supported heel raises, step-ups and balance exercises can be incorporated into a regular routine, provided they’re appropriate for you.

If you’re unsure about your balance, start with support nearby and consider getting professional guidance.

What can older adults do to reduce their risk of falling?

Fall prevention becomes particularly important as we get older.

Some useful areas to consider include:

Keep your strength up

Maintaining strength in the legs and hips can help with everyday activities such as getting out of a chair, climbing stairs and recovering from a stumble.

Work on balance

Balance is a skill that can be trained.

Activities such as appropriate balance exercises, Tai Chi and some forms of exercise classes can help maintain balance and confidence.

Have your eyes checked

Good vision is important for spotting obstacles, judging steps and navigating unfamiliar environments.

Keep up with recommended eye tests and make sure your glasses prescription is up to date.

Make your home safer

Look around your home for potential trip hazards.

These might include:

Loose rugs
Clutter on the floor
Trailing cables
Poor lighting
Slippery bathroom surfaces
Objects that require you to reach or climb unnecessarily

Sometimes a few simple changes can make a big difference.

Can fear of falling actually make things worse?

It can.

After a fall or near miss, it’s understandable to become more cautious.

But becoming very inactive because you’re frightened of falling can mean you lose strength, mobility and confidence.

That can potentially make everyday movement more difficult.

The answer isn’t to ignore the fear.

Instead, gradually rebuild confidence through safe, appropriate movement and balance exercises, with professional support where necessary.

What should you do if you fall?

First, don’t immediately try to leap back to your feet.

If you’ve fallen, take a moment to assess yourself.

Ask:

Am I injured? Can I move normally? Is anything obviously painful or damaged?

If you think you may have suffered a serious injury, particularly after a significant fall, seek appropriate medical help rather than trying to get yourself up unaided.

If you’re uninjured and able to get up safely, take your time.

If you live alone and are at increased risk of falling, it can also be worth discussing a plan with a healthcare professional or looking into personal alarm options.

Should you try to “fall better”?

This is one area where I’d be cautious about applying a generic technique.

You may hear advice about tucking your chin, relaxing rather than stiffening and rolling with a fall.

These principles can be useful in certain sporting or martial-arts contexts, but a real-world fall is unpredictable and people shouldn’t deliberately practise falling without appropriate supervision.

The priority is:

Reduce your risk of falling in the first place, and know what to do if you do fall.

If you participate in a sport where falling is part of the activity, specific fall-training can be taught by an appropriately qualified instructor.

Can osteopathy help with fall prevention?

Osteopathy isn’t a treatment for the underlying causes of every fall, and it shouldn’t replace appropriate medical assessment.

However, osteopathic treatment may be useful for some people who have stiffness, restricted movement or musculoskeletal problems that make everyday movement more difficult.

Depending on the individual, treatment may focus on:

Improving joint mobility
Reducing muscle tension
Addressing stiffness
Supporting comfortable movement
Looking at posture and movement patterns
Helping someone return to normal activity after a musculoskeletal injury

The wider goal is to help you keep moving comfortably and confidently.

For someone at increased risk of falling, a broader assessment of strength, balance, vision, medication and home hazards may also be appropriate.

What other exercises can help with balance?

There are plenty of options.

Depending on your abilities and circumstances, you might consider:

Balance exercises
Strength training
Tai Chi
Pilates
Walking
Dance
Exercise classes designed for older adults
Physiotherapy-led rehabilitation

The best activity is often the one that is safe, appropriate and something you’ll actually continue doing.

What should you do after a fall?

Even if you initially feel okay, pay attention to symptoms that develop afterwards.

Seek medical assessment if you have:

Significant or worsening pain
Difficulty putting weight through a limb
A suspected fracture
Significant swelling
A visible deformity
New weakness or numbness
Difficulty moving normally
A significant head injury
Loss of consciousness
New confusion, severe headache or vomiting after a head injury

If you’ve fallen repeatedly, it’s also worth discussing the falls with your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional.

Repeated falls can sometimes have an underlying cause that needs investigating.

How can you make your home safer?

A quick fall-risk MOT around your home can be worthwhile.

Walk through the rooms you use most and look for:

Floors: Are there loose rugs, clutter or cables?

Stairs: Are they well lit? Is the handrail secure?

Bathroom: Are surfaces slippery? Would additional support be useful?

Lighting: Can you easily see where you’re walking at night?

Kitchen: Are frequently used items within easy reach?

Bedroom: Is there a clear route from the bed to the bathroom?

The aim isn’t to turn your home into a padded room.

It’s simply to remove avoidable hazards.

A little-known fact about balance

Balance isn’t simply something you’re either “good” or “bad” at.

It relies on information from several systems working together, including your eyes, inner ear and sensory information from your muscles and joints.

Your brain constantly combines all of this information to help you work out where your body is in space.

In other words, staying upright is actually a rather impressive bit of engineering.

And like many things, it can benefit from practice.

Common questions about fall prevention

How can I prevent falls in winter?

Slow down on icy or slippery surfaces, take shorter steps, wear footwear with good grip, keep your hands free and avoid distractions such as looking at your phone whilst walking.

Does walking help prevent falls?

Walking can help maintain general fitness and mobility, but fall prevention is broader than walking alone. Strength and balance exercises are particularly useful additions.

What is the “penguin walk”?

It’s a simple way of walking on slippery surfaces involving shorter steps, a slower pace, slightly soft knees and keeping your centre of gravity over your feet.

Can balance be improved as you get older?

Yes. Balance is a skill that can be trained, although the type and difficulty of exercises should be appropriate for the individual.

Should I exercise if I’ve already had a fall?

Often, yes, but the appropriate exercise depends on why you fell and whether you were injured. If you’re recovering from an injury or are concerned about your balance, seek appropriate professional advice first.

When should I see someone after a fall?

Seek medical assessment for significant pain, suspected fractures, head injuries, loss of consciousness, new neurological symptoms, difficulty walking or other concerning symptoms. Repeated falls also warrant discussion with a healthcare professional.

Related NCTV episodes

If you’re interested in staying mobile, strong and injury-free, these NCTV episodes may also be useful:

About NCTV

NCTV – Nicholas Coysh TV is my series of bitesize health and wellbeing videos, covering common aches and pains, injury prevention, exercise, mobility and general wellbeing.

The aim is simple: useful advice that you can understand and put into practice.

If you’re experiencing stiffness, aches, reduced mobility or a musculoskeletal problem that’s affecting how confidently you move, Speak to Nick to discuss whether osteopathic treatment may be appropriate for you.

A final thought

You can’t eliminate every risk of falling.

But you can improve the things that are within your control: strength, balance, mobility, footwear, your environment and the way you approach slippery surfaces.

And perhaps most importantly, don’t let a fear of falling stop you from moving altogether.

Train for balance rather than waiting to test it unexpectedly.

That’s it for today’s bitesize bit to help your health flourish.

Stay steady, stay safe – and perhaps save the Dancing on Ice routine for the television.

Bye for now!

How Can You Prevent Falls and Slips?