Falling over

Going down steps: I have always been very careful even when younger, I thought it was normal but then I notice people almost skipping down stairs and I start thinking perhaps I have a problem.

ps goldengirl I definitely have to go down steps one at a time. So that seems to be a balance problem.

I've looked online for explanations and advice on this. Most experts say that each person has a different set of reasons tripping and falling.
eg sometimes due to medications. I think my left leg is longer than my right leg.
I was just thinking today - we don't hear much about men tripping and falling?

I take a foldable stick out with me if I'm walking a distance - just in case. I'm also being given balance training at my Pilates class after having a fall which has helped me enormously although the first few times were horrendous - I felt very dizzy and very unstable. I'm still not 100% but I managed to walk up some steps recently without a stick [there was a handrail] - but I'm not up to going down steps just yet.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I do Pilates which has really helped my balance but not so much my tripping! I'm trying really hard to pick my feet up and I tend to watch in front of me too ...but sometimes seem to misjudge drain covers etc! I'm honestly neurotic in snow!!

I know that my anxiety is beginning to stop me doing things (rather than I actually am no longer able to do them!) and I'm trying to avoid that if I can

I use a walking stick when outdoors since a fall 5 years ago and two broken foot bones messed up my mobility. It rally brings home to you how your life can change in a mini-second. The stick helps relieve the pain from walking on the bad foot (which has not properly healed) and I do think it makes me safer - I do not want it to happen again!

So, if you are anxious about falling, there is no reason not to use a stick in situations where you feel at all at risk.

It may be worth seeing a physiotherapist and working on opening up the front of the upper chest area with shoulder/upper arm exercises. Any degree of hunching affects balance and standing taller and looking up reduces the likelihood of falls.

Bigred18 I agree Sketchers are very comfy but little support. I found Reiker shoes and especially boots excellent for confident walking! Great support especially round the ankles which are perhaps a weak spot. When I wear them I do feel I could go rambling!

I'm exactly the same, I think my problem is that I don't pick my feet up properly! My balance is not brilliant but I'm doing exercise classes to improve that. I also take a walking pole if I'm feeling anxious. Skechers are great but I feel that whilst they are very comfortable they don't give a lot of support.

I have always had poor balance (I am dyspraxic) so in recent years I have been doing; first, a weekly pilates class, to which I have recently added Tai Chi and that has helped me immeasurably.

I was in the garden last week among my slightly raised vegetable beds and I tripped over the hoe and did a neat little clog dance on the edges of the veg beds but_did not fall over_. I attribute this entirely to the improvements made to my balance by my two classes.

Thanks for the link Caledonail, there’s some interesting stuff on there!

I’ve had quite a few nasty falls too. Because my walking and gait has changed so much over the last few years with arthritic and now replacement knees, I do tend to watch the ground in front of me constantly. So now, even though I can walk fine again, I take a hike stick with me if I know I’m going on uneven ground. It just gives me a bit more balance and confidence. And I can actually look at the scenery!

After a farm accident in which I slipped and fell from a height, I became super afraid of slipping or tripping and I am still a wee bit wary on icy days, rough surfaces or wet leaves.

Fear of falling is an additional risk but it does get slowly better with time. There is an excellent, free, online course run by Futurelearn which I have already mentioned on another thread. They do not have one on the current list, but I hope to let fellow Gransnetters know when it is up there. You can check for yourself on
www.futurelearn.com

The course is run by people at the Falls Clinic in Newcastle, and the style of course lets you see what others are contributing. Briefly, the message is that anybody (of any age and circumstances) can have a fall and it is not an inevitable part of ageing. They look at medications, glasses, balance, hazards and many more things I had not realised could contribute....more importantly, simple ways to investigate, avoid, prevent or deal with falls

Part of my long recovery from the fall was to swim every day and I was terrified every step between the changing room and the pool but, encouraged by the advice given, I found a solution and - thankfully - became less at risk of another fall.

What I liked most about the course was that we were all treated as sensible adults with reasonable arguments. The main adaptations remaining here are strict rules about what gets left at the top and bottom of the stairs and no creeping about in the semi-dark for night-time visits to the loo, none of which was responsible for the fall but all of which could cause another year of helplessness, something I don't want to repeat.

The worst legacy for me was and is the confusion caused by different doctors, nurses and physios who between them gave conflicting advice, some of which bordered upon dangerous. Lack of communication between them, differing attitudes and poor recording/treatment led to me finding my own solutions. I was very lucky.

This condition has a name - "Post fall syndrome". It is very common - you have a fall and then your confidence goes, and you then become frightened of falling again. Which can lead to another fall.

I wish there was a cure for it ! I had a bad fall at the rubbish tip last year, I fell over a speed bump and crashed down onto my knees. I still walk really carefully now , and have become hesitant when near anything bumpy.

I've had a couple of falls too - the worse one over my son's dog Christmas before last where I hit my head on the open kitchen door. I am now much more aware of what can happen but still seem to trip up quite easily and my rubber soled slippers seem to 'stick' on the tiled floor and nearly tip me up. They're supposed to be safer too!

I'm 63. I wear skechers shoes most of the time which are good. Just wish I could get the unreasonable anxiety under control.

Madgran You sound as if you're not so old?
At 82 I'm going through the same problem of regaining confidence after various trips/falls.
Like Bluesky, I've found wearing firmly laced shoes helps a lot. And like Bluebell focus on uneven pavements.
Another challenge is going out on dark evenings. I've bought a torch which isn't always necessary, because the street lighting here is quite good. But I use it in a few places.
Set yourself a short-term target, and once you've achieved that go onto the next one. Hopefully your confidence will return - plus extra caution.

Over the years, I've had a few falls, quite memorable ones! A drain cover tripped me up when I was at uni and my knee took some time to recover. Last year, the toe of my sandal caught in a rut on our local station platform, resulting in a broken shoulder and spectacular bruising. Now I am under orders from DSs to watch where I put my feet. Two previous falls could be attributed to (a) a badly fitting shoe and (b) stepping out of car into a patch of mud. Am I more careful now? I hope so...

Trouble is I ll probably walk into a lamppost as my eyes are engaged

It does make you a lot more cautious I ve had a few falls (nothing broken thankfully apart from my pride) but as last year I skidded down on wet leaves at the moment I seem to be walking with my eyes firmly on the ground

I had a couple of falls in the past couple of years, just on the pavement, nothing in the way, didn't slip or felt giddy etc. Like you I was getting nervous about being out and about, which is silly having no walking difficulties whatsoever. Then I started wearing sturdy shoes and boots with good support and hey presto! no more trips!