Let's Roll

News we oldsters can genuinely use - Martial-Arts Move May Lessen Impact of a Fall on Hip. Researchers analyzed seven falling techniques:

Martial-arts rolling, which involves bending the knees and rotating slightly backward during a fall, was the only technique to significantly reduce impact on the hip.

Perhaps stating the obvious: if one has the reflexes to perform the move, one is unlikely to lose one's balance in the first place. Also, it seems to this observer that the move could endanger the back of one's head. On the other hand, I do know several people for whom injuries from a fall were devastating, and here's hoping that this information results in fewer hip fractures.