For a long time, the fear of falling was merely believed to be a result of the psychological trauma of a fall, also called "post-fall syndrome".[2] This syndrome was first mentioned in 1982 by Murphy and Isaacs,[3] who noticed that after a fall, ambulatory persons developed intense fear and walking disorders. Fear of falling has been identified as one of the key symptoms of this syndrome. Since that time, FOF has gained recognition as a specific health problem among older adults.