I fell over and couldn't get up - what exercise do I need?

@IceBrownie I do those - they seem to be more about range of motion?

But still found myself on the slope having to kind of flip over and use my hands. Well, one hand. Couldn't just stand straight up.

so I can squat that far back, but not that far forward.

I am trying to think about this more and see how I can fix it. I initially wasn't too concerned because I injured my spine quite badly in an accident so there's bound to be some weakness in my core. I might need to address lower body strength as well.

@HArderthan1thought yes, I think some individual attention from a Pilates instructor might be a good idea. I have already been recommended one to avoid in the local area. Maybe I should see a physiotherapist or something instead.

@Frenchcremefraiche I hope everything's alright. I think it's very easy to find ourselves in these situations. And it may well be something to do with accessory muscles and nothing to worry about. 💐

You need mobility exercises.

Short and consistent. 10ms a day. Loads on YouTube

Re the 6 flights of stairs, last year I was borderline anemic. Not massively - haemaglobin was 124 - but the breathlessness after 3 flights of stairs was dreadful. I was properly gasping. Some high strength iron tablets, multivitamins and a bit more focus on nutrition and I don’t even notice the 3 flights now.

So OP if you find stairs make you overly breathless you may need a bit more iron, Vit B12 or folate to make more haemaglobin.

Self refer to muskuloskeletal service
Check hips and knees

When you see the GP focus on the fact that you have fallen twice and were unable to get up unaided. Let the GP know what exercise you do and ask if it’s possible you have an underlying medical issue.

I would prioritise getting a rehab PT who is good with specifics like this

But getting your heart rate up and breathing heavily is the whole point of cardio vascular exercise. You shouldn’t be avoiding that, you should be embracing it. Do you get out of breath in your gym sessions?

I’m 50 and over the last 6 years my hips and lower back were causing issues. My GP kept brushing it off as perimenopausal symptoms, even though I was on HRT.
My personal trainer was adjusting my exercises but I was getting weaker. Eventually I was struggling to get up off the floor at all, no strength in my legs.
My GP referred me to physiotherapy, they assessed me and sent me for an MRI as there was clearly an issue affecting me.
I have a large non cancerous tumour (schwannoma) compromising my cauda equine nerve root and spinal cord. I have major surgery in a few weeks to remove it.

Please ask your GP for a physio referral and get checked out.

It could be nothing or it could be a whole host of things both neurological and musculoskeletal, or even potentially an endocrine issue as a previous poster pointed out. Have you noticed any other issues with balance or any other weakness, joint pain or anything else out of the ordinary?

a fairly active person aged 46 should be able to get up off the floor without too much difficulty even if over weight. The fact you fell over twice in one day and couldn’t get up is a bit of a worry if I’m honest. I would get it checked out properly and then if it turns out to be nothing to worry about act on all the strengthening advice on this thread.

Just to say if it happens again and there is no one to help, you should crawl to a tree, bollard, gate etc for balance. Don't panic. It is very rare there is nothing around that might help.

Honestly my concern is less about the type of exercise you're doing and more about the possibility of MS or something unrelated to exercise, causing profound weakness that shouldn't be there. You're deflecting and avoiding confronting the issue here, which is that if you can't stand up on your own at 46 and you're not morbidly obese, then there's something wrong with you. Please do see a doctor.

Edit: apologies I can see you've acknowledged the recommendations to see the GP now. I hope it's just muscle weakness.

I started with 1:1 Pilates sessions with a mixture of mat and reformer - the reformer helped me in doing mat work, which I still do. Either is good - my main point, which could have been clearer, sorry, is to do it with individual attention from a trained pilates instructor. They really know what they're looking for.

Could it be down to reduced movement in your thighs because of your weight distribution.

You say you’re 5ft tall and 3 stone overweight, with that weight being carried in your thighs and bum. It could be down to your thighs being physically unable to swing forward to propel you upwards due to weight distribution.

I think the ‘get up from cross legged’ has been doing the round on the socials as a ‘test of fitness’. Getting up easily is what matter.

OP you are lucky you’ve had this experience as now you can work on it, but I really would go to your GP, that is quite a worrying situation.

Look up inchworms and walk outs for the names of the exercises.

Mat Pilates. It will balance out both sides, give you flexibility and mobility in your joints and strengthen your core. It goes really well with lifting weights too. It is challenging both physically and mentally, but the benefits are worth it.

If you are properly fat you can work on starting on your knees in press up position, lifting your bum up (and head down) and then walking your hands to where they need to be until you can push yourself off the floor. I thanked the deities for CrossFit when I fell over post surgery. It would have been ambulance job if I couldn't have done it myself as I am huge.

Just a bit of a left field view, shoulder and hip weakness along with weight gain can be signs of an under active thyroid. Do you have any other symptoms like cold hands and feet, thinning of eyebrows and hair?

In reality like me you are probably just out of practice!

Maybe a physiotherapist would know what you need for that exact movement?

Apart from the getting up issue I am wondering about your falls. I know you said they weren’t an issue but I fell a couple of times a few years ago. I’ve been trying to strengthen my ankles, practicing balancing for extended periods of time as well as running and yoga and I haven’t fallen over in a couple of years. If I wobble I can catch myself.

Just start by saying exactly what you’ve said here. That you fell twice and couldn’t get up. You’d like to start doing some specific exercises to help, but you want to make sure that there’s nothing else going on before you start.

Any GP worth their salt will raise a curious eyebrow and clock that you’re worried.

Your GP will take a more detailed history in addition to having access to your past medical history and medications all of which are essential in a falls assessment.

Try not to worry, Dr Google is definitely not your friend here x

A Physio would be far more use than a PT. Assessing mobility issues and helping you fix them is part of their job! They can find out exactly why you couldn’t get up saving you time and effort if it’s muscular.

Yes also see the Gp and say you couldn’t get off the floor and you don’t think it’s due to weight.