So Tuesday I was home wearing wool socks and sweat pants. I went out to get the mail, and when I came back in my right foot started to slide behind me. This is on laminate flooring.

As I felt my foot start to slide I started doing the running man trying to get my balance and keep from falling. Doing the Running Man caused me to do the Superman as my feet shot out behind me at the same time.

I did a nice belly flop in the hall as I can't fly (no matter how hard I try), and we had to call Captain Ahab to retrieve the beached Great White Whale.

I am sore as all get out in my shoulder, knees, and neck, but I did not hit my head on anything.

So I can take away two lessons from this: first, I can't fly and second Sir Isaac Newton was correct when he surmised that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree (i.e. his law of gravity).

Hope you are ok! And that the soreness goes away too. Falling is not fun, and I’m sure figuring out you can’t fly as you hit the ground was so disappointing.

Not sure how old you are, but I've had a few falls in the past few years that were pretty painful. Fortunately, I didn't break anything.

I simply try real hard to watch where I am walking, am very, very careful when I get up in the night and keep the lights off to avoid disturbing the boss.

Out in the world, I now use a cane most of the time. Sometimes I think I don't need it, but there's been several times on some type of uneven ground or pavement that the cane has kept me from falling.

Really, there's a number of jokes about getting older, but I'm afraid most are really true.

Bob

I have pretty severe neuropathy in my feet and have to be very careful while walking. A few weeks ago I fell in an asphalt parking lot. Ended up going to an urgent care facility and got 8 stiches on my forehead and a few other cuts and bruises. The thing is that I know it's going to happen again at some point or another.

Jim

I will be 50 in April. Unfortunately this wasn't caused by low blood pressure when I stood up. Sometimes when I stand from my desk at work I get a little light headed until everything catches up to my standing.

I know getting older isn't for sissies as I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes back in 2012, and find different muscles and joints yelling at me at times.

I am thinking about getting another walking stick as I have a synthetic blackthorn from Cold Steel that I use once in a while.

The biggest disappointment in all of this is the realization that I can't fly.

I have been getting more mobilization out of my left shoulder, and my knees aren't hurting as bad as they did Wednesday.

I did have to laugh a little when you switched to doing the Superman - I’d love to see an image of that!
2 springs ago, I hopped on a wooden disc in my yard (tree trunk cut crosswise to make a stepping “stone” to a wet garden). It had just rained and when I stepped, the wood slid across the grass with the same speed as the force I jumped towards it. Ended up doing the splits, and I definitely wasn’t a cheerleader, ever. Took most of the summer to recover from that as I pulled a hamstring something fierce.
Hope you mend quickly.

I had basically the opposite experience last Wednesday. I am finishing up my small modular home, just below the Idaho border. We were having a little snow/slush mix coming down. When I arrived at my house, I simply started hopping out onto the running board of my F-350...and pretty much slid all the way down to the ground. Cut my hand a bit, nothing serious. Fortunately, I'd laid bark on my driveway, that probably prevented serious injury - other than to my pride. I just turned 30, for the second time, yesterday. Lesson learned!

The problem is not falling. Its trying to catch yourself from falling.

I can remember falling twice on ice. I was walking one second and before I knew it I was staring at the sky. It took me a second to even realize I fell. Neither time I felt a thing.

Now compare that to the times you try to catch yourself and muscles hurt for days. It goes against every survival instinct to let yourself fall.

Problem is, Gpbst3, that as we get older our bones seem to become more brittle. The impact can shatter a pelvis or hip, for example.

I've noticed that as I've gotten older, falls I'd have laughed about as a child and jumped up ready for more are now fun ending, leaving me in pain but grateful that I didn't break anything.

Thus I try to break my fall with or by something, figuring if I break my arm or hand, rather than my face, pelvis, hip or some other lovely part of my anatomy, I've come out ahead (this time).

Bob

Need to watch Risky Business to refine your technique.

try walking on a gallon sized zip lock bag,w/bare feet
that will send you side ways

At least the static electricity buildup didn't set your sweats on fire.

Glad you’re getting better. I have noticed that my balance isn’t as good as when I was young. Sucks getting old. Haven’t needed a cane yet, though.

"Have you fallen since your last visit?" is now a standard question when you see your primary care physician. It is a good gauge of your health, and mobility.

Months back I tripped on the edge of the patio. Did the running man but slipped, went into the Superman and crashed into the short side of the picnic table across my chest. Lucky that a few inches and it might have been my neck.

My knees were scraped up bad. My daughter said it looked like someone spread half a jar a strawberry jam on each knee. No broken ribs or bruised sternum. I must have broken the fall on the table with my right arm.

Getting old is a bitch. Really have to watch the environment and what I am doing so I don’t get hurt.

Here's what happened the last time that I fell:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Here's what happened the last time that I fell:

Ouch!!! Damn!!!

Ouch Vtail.

I've taken 2 tumbles this winter on the ice.

Our remaining 2 dogs are blind and we live in a 2-story home. Tney are also both quite old (17/18 and the other is 15) so they get me up between 4:30 to 6:00 am every morning.

I carry them outside and both times I fell was due to ice on the patio. The first time I cradled Jacks in my arms and fell flat on my back. Sore but my pride was the worst pain.

The second fall was also while carrying Jacks but I was on the last of the 3 steps. That one hurt more as I tried to break my fall with my open arm.

So as others have said, the one wherein the only time I had to prepare for the fall was to clutch Jacks tighter so he wouldn't get hurt resulted in no pain.

But the 2nd time wherein I tried to break my fall was the one I felt for a day or two.

So glad that I now live in a place where ice is not a factor. Back maybe fifteen years or so ago, my wife was visiting the kids back in Ohio. She slipped on ice on the back porch steps and broke a bone or two in her right foot.

Funny thing, a month or so later, she was moving a car in the driveway, pulling it closer to the garage to make room for another car behind it. As she got closer to the garage door she stepped on the brake, couldn't understand why the engine got louder, as she pressed the brake pedal. She was wearing a boot cast on the foot with the broken bones and could not feel the pedals, did not realize that she was on the brake and the gas at the same time. As the engine got louder, the car crept forward. Volvos are stronger than garage doors. $1,200.00 later . . .

---

My primary care doc tells me that Tai Chi is likely to help with balance.

There's a place maybe ten or fifteen minutes from me that advertises Tai Chi for Geezers.

I plan on checking it out tomorrow.

Right after Christmas I was getting some things out of my car...I was parked on gravel, it was raining and I was wearing ancient/no tread flip flops because I am the poster child for safety.

I dropped something on the ground and kind of lowered myself to get it...this caused my left foot to begin sliding on the gravel and I could not stop it...I was quickly headed towards a full split. I had to wherewithal to realize that this was not good and something was going to break or tear if I did not do something so I decided the best option was to fall backwards on the the ground where I stayed in pain and wet for more than a few minutes.

End result was some groin muscle and lower back pain for a week!