Why do my legs become wobbly when I stand near a cliff top?
• These effects vary from person to person. My wife, who is not , gets a tingly feeling in her palms and soles, presumably in anticipation of a need to cling on with all the passion of her simian ancestors.
If however, like me, you have a poor sense of balance, and rely on visual input to supplement it, I speculate that this feeling is an effect of poor feedback. Normally one sways according to the balancing movements of the legs and unconsciously adjusts according to one’s vision. Standing on a cliff where no level ground or rising walls offer visual clues to help you avoid toppling, your legs get poor feedback and keep over-correcting. That feels very insecure, which could set knees shaking.
Advertisement
When fear causes legs to tremble, the impulse seems a primitive one: small children and many other immature animals commonly throw themselves to the ground when frightened, in a state of helpless submission. Shaky legs might be part of that response.
A wry saying in expresses defiance of the symptom: “Staan stil broek; jou baas is nie bang nie,” which translates into English as “Stand still trousers; your master isn’t afraid.”
Jon Richfield, Somerset West, South Africa