I fell over today

[Popfan]

As the title says I tripped going up a kerb and smacked down on the concrete, whacked my hands and the side of my leg. I'm absolutely fine but bloody hell it hurt!! It must have looked dramatic as someone stopped their car and checked I was OK and also helped me up.
Falling as an adult is horrid (and very embarrassing!) - you see kids running, falling and often jumping up and brushing themselves off! I had to sit there for a bit before managing to get (or be helped) up.

N.B. I'm 50 so I still class today's incident as falling over, not ' having a fall'. When does the latter come into play?!

It really hurts when you fall over as an adult, I had a similar fall to op last year where I tripped and put my hands out however it broke my arm near my elbow.

One funny incident afterwards though was the day after I was buying a few bits at the Range and one of the workers offered to help dh carry things to the car as I was struggling one handed, he asked about my arm and said "I know how you feel, I'm just getting over a cold".

I am in 40s and I can no longer use escalators and am getting more and more nervous going down steps in case of falling.

I seemed to go through a spell of falling, when walking the dog in the woods. On one occasion I went down fast and flat, didn’t even get chance to put my arms out to protect myself (though probably would’ve broken my wrists doing so). I remember there was one week when I fell over three times in the woods, thankfully it was always quiet when I walked so no one saw.

Last time I fell was a year ago at an away football match, my team scored a last minute winner, we all went wild and as I was standing at the end of a row I quickly found myself flat on my back on the concrete steps. In the euphoria of the moment I just laughed. Next morning the backs of my legs and my back were bruised and I’d manage to graze my legs through my jeans (worth it for a last minute winner though).

I'm always shocked when people think a broken bone is no big deal

have they no common sense!

I walk very slowly but had a spinal injury from my own clumsiness. It does mean I have to explain myself when meeting new people and going out with them.

@purplecorkheart sime escalators are sped up in rush hour and I can't use them at that speed

I would welcome any helpful exercises but even the physio seemed either mystified or reluctant to say they can't help.

I sympathize OP. I’m 40 and fell over on slightly uneven ground in the local park, my ankle rolled and I went down like a sack of spuds. DH and DDog were with me and I couldn’t get up, I must have looked and sound like a lunatic I was saying I’ve broken it I’ve broken it and DH was thinking I was nuts as I’d just dropped to the ground.

Anyway - broken ankle. I spent all summer in a boot, and have only just been able to go out and about to/from work without a crutch.

I am enjoying telling people I broke it “walking” though - the looks on people’s faces are priceless, and I’ve had some really pleasant interactions with strangers on the tube 😂

@EmeraldRoulette Bosu ball ( like a half ball) was recommended by one physio I saw.
It's quite useful but I have to be careful as I have several balance coordination issues & other "medical issues " (I'm being vague on purpose)

Falling is horrible and so bloody painful as an adult!

I used to fall over quite a lot when I was running, I stopped probably 7 years ago due to injury so I was quite young!

i fell last year, aged 48 and my elbow hasn’t been right since! I fell so heavily, it took me some time before I could get up. It was awful and it really dented my confidence. I think I did something to my elbow because it’s still painful 18 months later but too late to worry now!

I hope you don’t feel too stiff tomorrow @Popfan 💐

Thanks

that was recommended to me as well

Weirdly I have good balance

I don't know what goes wrong but I think my centre of gravity was affected by the spinal injury so it feels like a double whammy now

I fell over, well slipped and fell down twice in a month when I moved into a new place that had laminate flooring and wasn't wearing nonslip socks - was rushing both times to answer the door for deliveries that I didn't want to miss (signed for) and went straight over onto my back from standing height onto the laminate.

i could not believe how much I ached all over and how badly my front and back ribs hurt, for ages afterwards, even with no serious injuries or breaks or the like. I remember just lying there in shock for a while when it happened. And I'm in my 30's for goodness sake 🤣.

I absolutely understand now how frequent fallers that are much older end up in hospital for weeks after they've had a fall and how it takes them ages to feel better.

Ouch and sympathies to all you fallers and especially the frequent ones.
I very much hope there isn't a repeat!

I think you fall over an obstacle - like a kerb - and can get back up by yourself.

You have a fall if there's no obstacle, and you can't get back up without help.

This is going back about 15 years but I met for a client lunch in Oxford, dressed up a bit in a shift dress and wedges. Had a great lunch and after the meeting the client said I'll walk you back to the car park.

I was walking with my laptop bag across my front and literally the next thing I'm face down legs spread, arms spread laptop had flown across the street and people all around me.... mortified.

But wedge shoes and oxford cobbled streets do not go well. Luckily I had just bruised knees and bruised ego.

Hope you are ok OP as I'm fast approaching 50 it's good reminder!

Standing on one leg while brushing your teeth is good for balance. If you want to make it more difficult, then you can do it on a balance pad, or for less difficult stand with both feet on a balance pad.

Oh OP, I am famous for falling over!! I did it 3 weeks ago in the car park at work, felt such a fool, smacked onto all fours, knees bleeding, palms bruised ( not to mention jarring my bad shoulder 😭) I take a combination of pills for various conditions and they slow my brain but my body works at a different speed.. sooo… I frequently trip up! Mind you, I’ve been clumsy all my life!🤪 a very kind man helped my up, but just wouldn’t sod off - I just wanted to cry cos I felt so silly and was hurting. Nobody bats an eyelid at my accidents anymore, they just say “oops, she’s down again”
Sympathies to you 🌺

Over 70 now. I am a great urban walker and a few years ago suddenly started having magnificent trips on the kerb when I crossed the road. I broke ribs a couple of times and once my thumb. Doc told me some old people stop lifting their feet high enough to negotiate the kerbs as they used to. I slowed my gallop a bit and now find if I use a walking pole I can still dash along but the pole reminds me to be careful on changing levels and surfaces,

I'm severely dyspraxic.... I trip and fall and lose my balance on a regular basis...
I share your pain...

We forget how to fall the further away from our last fall. For example at 50, your last fall may have been in your 20s when inebriated, or aged 10 at school. Now that you've fallen you are x hours away from your last fall. You also put out your hands to break your fall (more difficult for women carrying bags). This is an instinctive reaction.

So on this occasion you tripped, used your hands and broke your fall. It won't feel like it, but you've increased your protection from a fall.

I fell off my bike the other week, at a standstill letting a man and his dog go past me. Thankfully i landed in soggy grass so wasn't properly injured. My dignity however and the bread in the pannier did not fare so well.

i have always been a clumsy sod ie broke my toes falling out of a very low bed think futon, for instance. my daughter is the same when she was younger i was on first name terms with the local casualty staff. Now her son is the same in the last week he broke a finger in volleyball then broke his thumb falling off a chair all in a week! he has split his lip falling up a stairs the list is endless. my daughter is always getting calls (he is in his teens) saying mum i am injured please come and fetch me! i also have a granddaughter with my other daughter who quite honestly should be wrapped in bubble wrap she has a very sporty and party life style but the injuries she has done! her teacher suggested a while back maybe she should take up something like chess but then she would probably fall off her chair!

So true

I regularly fall over since my cerebellum was damaged. I rarely go out without a supporting arm to hold or one of the painted wooden staffs I've made! Falling hurts your body and your pride! Last week I fell down a Badger sett when out with the dogs, the week before, I fell off a kerb but my DC grabbed me!

Sorry OP, to add, I really hope you feel better soon

Yesterday I slipped on some icy stone steps and landed flat on my back. I was so shocked I lay there in the damp for 3 or 4 minutes before I could move. It's horrible, isn't it? I too actually thought, have I transitioned from "thickly fell" to "thickly had a fall"?

Im actually feeling very sorry for myself. Tailbone is badly bruised and I'm wearing icy hot patches.

Commiserations to us all.

I reckon kerbs take out a very high percentage of people who fall each day. Bloody things.

I had an epic fall the other week while out with the dog. I was running along some grass after days of rain. It / the mud underneath was really slippery, and I felt myself going down. I hit the ground with my knees, slid along a bit (like I was celebrating a goal!), stood up and kept running, all in one movement! I doubt it looked as amazing as it (possibly) sounds, but it was dark and early, so hopefully I wasn't spotted!

I called 'Wait!' to the dog as I went down. By the time he'd turned to see why, I was back on my feet and moving again. He gave a kind of doggy shrug, and we kept going! 🤣🦮

I strained my meniscus earlier in the year and it flared up again for a bit afterwards. Seems alright now, I think.

I hope you’re not too sore tomorrow @Popfan

I almost fell at the Sea Life Centre the other day. We were going to look at the seals but the decking was wet so my feet went from under me. It was like a bloody cartoon. As I put one down the other came up and vice versa. Fortunately DS2 was behind me so stopped me from going on my backside. I have a disability, and weak bones, so was glad he did otherwise it could have been nasty. I still had a very sore hip the next day. I felt like a right pillock, tbh.