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

I didnt think to look up senior citizen videos so that's a good idea. I cant believe I need to do that.

I know what you mean, but if you search on Instagram for the kind of sequences I mentioned, there are lots that don't say they're for senior citizens – they come from the point of view of making sure you're fit/strong/flexible enough now and getting into the habit of doing them, so that when you do get older you'll find getting up easier. I find that makes it easier for me to psychologically accept!

Hey OP - I recently decided I wanted to work on a specific strength issue - I told ChatGPT what my goal was and it devised me a 12 week weight training plan! I’m two weeks in and I’m impressed how targeted it is. You can also tell it whether you want to do this at home or at the gym as it will devise your plan around what equipment is available to you.

Pilates will strengthen core, hips, glutes, back and legs so you'll get everything - and probably a holistic approach is best as you want all your muscles working together.

When I get up from proposal position, I drive off the front heel - the movement isn't coming from the kneeling leg. So when you say you can't get the kneeling leg up and forward, what about if you focus on the front leg driving the movement instead?

I was the other way round. I had a diagnosis & GP recommended physio. The NHS one (during covid) was a phone call & useless.
I found a private one who was brilliant. Recommended by a friend. She was £70 ph but worth it. First appt was longer as she did a full assessment. No extra charge.
We then went through exercises to do daily. She also emailed written descriptions so I could refer back.
Charges will depend on your area. Your gym might have recommendations?

My friend has recently seen a sports physiotherapist and paid around £40-£45 for the first session just to give you an idea.

Hello op. Sorry to hear you’ve had a couple of tumbles. Hope you’re not hurt.

I would really recommend a pt - look for someone with lots of experience of dealing with women I’d say, not someone who specialises in building muscle on young lads but someone who really understands how your body works. Explain to them your problem and tell them, clearly, what your objective is. They should do an assessment with you and put together a programme that is specifically tailored to you and your body.

you might even find you enjoy it.

good luck op.

They will absolutely do this - not sure of cost though, I've been lucky enough to get my physio sessions through work/BUPA for yesrs so very out of touch. GPs are generally a bit shit for anything musculoskeletal unfortunately.

Thank you. I just said that as ED can damage bones and reduce muscle strength. I guess it's bad for very under or overweight.

I am sure the exercises pp suggest will help. You could ask for a physio referral from GP but you'd need to be in pain I think. Private physio is really expensive but the exercises they offer can be found online.

This happened to me in that I couldn't lift myself off the floor using my legs and only one arm. It was when I was life threateningly anorexic.
I hope you don't have ED do you OP?

I really agree with this - meant kindly.

We are a similar age. I have always been very fit and healthy (used to teach yoga/pilates/fitness) but had a major long covid related blip where I gained a hell of a lot of weight (well into obesity) and had breathing issues, and was physically very weak. I could barely walk up the stairs without hyperventilating. Even then I had no difficulty getting up from the floor.

I would honestly go and see a physiotherapist and let them assess where you have a weakness or imbalance and recommend next steps. My first thought would have been strength training but if you're doing that already then either your programme is not effective or there's another issue - flexibility, core strength, something else.

Might be worth seeing a private physio for an assessment. They can do various strength tests & can then recommend suitable specific exercises. If they think there's an underlying problem they will recommend you see your GP. Tell GP what physio has recommended so they don't fob you off.

I'd recommend yoga because it encourages you to be very aware of how you are using each part of your body as you transition into positions or hold them. This will help you to learn where the problem is - which parts of your body are failing you.

Having cultivated that awareness, you can ask the instructor to recommend specific poses/sequences that may help. And even before you get to this stage, the classes should be providing an overall, balanced workout that will be of help.

Is your walking on the flat or uphill? My thigh muscles and glutes are pretty good, and I'm sure it's from hauling myself up the insane inclines on the South West Coast Path on.a regular basis.

This is concerning - are you very overweight? Look up functional fitness classes.

Get a bean bag and sit on it, make sure you get up and dow lots of times. Within a month you will have cracked it.

Agree with PP, this sounds a bit worrying. In the moment, shaken up from falling, possibly cold and wet from the conditions, embarrassed as well, might mean the OP struggled.
But if she still struggled when trying it at home, calm and not hurt, especially given the amount of exercise she does, that's a bit concerning.
I'm 50, overweight and do a lot less exercise than OP, but I just got up from the floor 3 times in a row (different methods) without any difficulty, and I wasn't holding on to anything.

Falls physio here. The technique you need to work on is called backward chaining.

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Backward-chaining

Increasing evidence that using your body to do functional activities and using your own weight as resistance against gravity is a very effective exercise, more so than doing open-chain weights in a single plane (such as you would do weights at the gym).
pilates also excellent for strength and balance.

I echo a pp who recommended you see your GP about this. Given your age you should be able to get up from the floor.

sounds like your thighs are weak. if you were in the “proposal” position on one knee and couldn’t stand from that. going up lots of stairs multiple times a day would help.

If you roll onto your hands and knees can you get up. It does sound worrying though.

I've also recently seen some Instagram posts/reels about exercises for mobility/getting up from the floor. I can't find any just now, or remember any of the posters' names, but they should be easy enough to find.