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

[Frenchcremefraiche]

Basically that.

I fell over twice yesyerday. I wasnt hurt but couldn't get myself back up from kneeling/proposal style and had to ask strangers for help. I'm 46.

When I got home I tried again and on one side I can just about do it with a lot of effort but on the other I can't. I dont know why, I just cant.

Is it yoga/pilates or something else that will help?

I already walk/swim/strength train several times each week. I'm overweight (working on it).

Dont be concerned about me falling over btw. They were both my own stupidity. One was a slipping on wet paving and the other was treading on my trouser hem.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I hope everything goes well. X

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

Not particularly. Just general minor aches and pains that a fat 40+ woman would expect. 🤣
I get a lot if what I think is gall bladder pain. I've had an MRI that showed nothing but I need to follow that up.
I've always had noisy knees (going up stairs sounds like I'm walking on bubble wrap) but it's never caused pain so I was told to ignore it. It's getting worse so I probably should het that checked again.
Double doctors appointment then. I'll have to take a list.

Ah bugger. I've just looked up my knees and it seems I should have pushed a bit harder about being taken seriously. I've always had it and was told that if I wasn't getting pain (I dont) it wasnt anything to worry about. Seems that with it getting noisier and not being able to get up, it might actually be an issue.

Oh well. I wont be googling anymore but will make a GP appointment and be a bit more forceful.

Thanks everyone.

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.

Self refer to muskuloskeletal service
Check hips and knees

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.

You need mobility exercises.

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

@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. 💐