Scott McCredie is a Seattle-based health and science writer who says he “discovered” what he calls “the lost sense” of balance after he watched in horror as his 67-year-old father tumbled off a boulder and disappeared from sight during a hike in the Cascades. Though his father hurt little more than his pride, McCredie became intrigued by what might have caused this experienced hiker, an athletic and graceful man, to lose his balance suddenly.

His exploration led to a book, Balance: In Search of the Lost Sense. Noting that the sense of balance erodes as one ages and falls are common among the growing older population, McCredie wonders why balance is not talked about in fitness circles as often as strength training, aerobics and stretching.

He learned that the sense of balance begins to degrade in one’s 20s and that it is downhill — literally and figuratively — from there unless steps are taken to preserve it.

Vertigo, which can be caused by inner ear infections, low blood pressure, brain injuries, certain medications and some chronic diseases, is loss of balance in the extreme. Anyone who has experienced it — even if just from twirling in a circle — knows how disorienting and dangerous it can be. Really, without a sense of balance, about everything else in life can become an insurmountable obstacle.

One normal consequence of aging is a steady decline in the three main sensory contributors to good balance — vision, proprioceptors on the bottoms of feet that communicate position information to the brain, and the tiny hairs in the canals of the inner ear that relay gravity and motion information to the brain. Add to that the loss of muscle strength and flexibility that accompany aging and you have a fall waiting to happen.

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