Is clumsiness an early symptom?

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hairyfairy
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Is clumsiness an early symptom?

Post by hairyfairy »

Iv`e noticed in recent years that sometimes my depth perception is a little off, like, I reach out for something and end up knocking it over instead. Not only is this very irritating, it`s worrying as well because Iv`e read that this can be one of the first signs of alzheimers. It`s not a regular occurance, just every once in a while.
BrianR
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Re: Is clumsiness an early symptom?

Post by BrianR »

hairyfairy wrote:Is clumsiness an early symptom?
Looking at the internet, it appears that aging related clumsiness tends to fall more into the "getting old sucks" category, rather than the "early indications of dementia" category. Of course, it can be difficult to untangle those two categories.

A couple of references:
https://source.wustl.edu/2013/06/older- ... n-changes/
The Effects of Aging on the Perception of Depth from Motion Parallax

Personally, I've tended to blame increasing clumsiness on some combination of moral failure and/or subtle stiffening in my hands, but I suppose vision changes could explain the issues too.
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TheresaB
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Re: Is clumsiness an early symptom?

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The expression, “use it or lose it” applies to many things, including balance. According to Jim Klopman in his book, Balance is Power: Improve your Body’s Balance to Perform Better, Live Longer and Look Younger
Here is my theory: The modern lifestyle is dealing a serious blow to the human balance system. In primitive times, our balance was constantly challenged by the uneven ground and varied terrain that we traveled every day. Now, we move in a world design to protect us from falls – smooth, even sidewalks, exceptionally flat floors, and perfectly proportional stairs. A crack in the pavement is cause for complaints and yellow tape to warn us away from the hazard.
So after participating in sports and play which necessitate balance as a youngster, many experience a degradation in balance with age. But balance can be reinvigorated with training. Google “Jim Klopman Balance” for more info/ideas.
-Theresa
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