This post was inspired by jimeka's last two Falls this past week. As a community and our family I was hoping we could scientifically look at the Falls that we've encountered together and try to figure out many of the risk factors that have impacted us negatively and cause us to fall. If we can identify our risk factors we can eliminate as many of them as possible perhaps we can cut down on the number of Falls that we all experience. It's worth a shot. As I say together we are stronger and why not break this down in a small Fall by Fall replay and see if there are common threads that caused many of us to fall. If we eliminate the possible factors that cause or false you should greatly cut down the number of falls our family experience. I usually chime in first but on this particular post I'm going to wait and see what everyone else comes up with before I chime in my two cents. Together I believe we can beat this monster at its own game and and prevent the serious consequences that come from our falls. If we can prevent even one person in our family from taking a fall that is unnecessary we have beat this monster! So let's all join in and see how many people we can prevent from falling in our family! Fancy.
💥🆘️Falling..... What we can learn from... - My MSAA Community
💥🆘️Falling..... What we can learn from each other and from each and every fall!💢👠💤
I wish I could help but I can honestly say that every time I have fallen I have not known why or how, only I did. I could not have done anything to prevent them. It just happened. But it hurt 🤕 ouch . Blessings Jimeka 😊
Jimeka, one of the many things I wish to focus on with this post are common threads that we all track down before we fall. It could be the type of shoes we've got on and how they attach and if they slip on our foot easily. It could be the tread they have. Some of the shoes I have have no tread and of course those become very hazardous and slick and a I tend not to wear them very often. Then I actually have shoes that have such aggressive tread and are so rubbery on the bottom that they grab everything and cause me to drag my foot a lot more. Is it that perhaps the clothes we wear the style of clothes we wear. More clothing interferes or we fight to keep them in place the more at risk we are for falling . And of course there's the terrain and how rough it is, how full of obstacles it is, or have treacherous the conditions are whether they are full of rocks or gravel that causes foot slippage. Then there's the weather conditions is it wet out or are you on a slick surface. Are you on wood that tends to have a different feel than dirt. Or are you on concrete etc etc the list can go on and on. There's the fatigue factor in us that plays a big role in our falling. I know personally the tireder I am the more at risk I I am for doing things that will hurt me such as falling. Then I'm also considering the speed Factor. I know personally speed is not my friend. If I push things and try to go too fast bad things happen to me. Yeah it's hard to be the Slowpoke in the group and to have everybody always waiting on you. But it simply becomes a fact of life to keep ourselves safe. I know I can come up with more ideas but I'll just throw these out there start with for people to consider and for you to consider in to go back over your Falls and see if any or some of these apply in a way that adds to your potential falling. I'll be back after we get more replies.
I sincerely hope we get tons and tons of replies to this post because I think this post is extremely pertinent to a large percentage of the people in this chat room and in our family. Come on people let's brainstorm this one and help each other each stay safe and fall free. Remember post like this and working together on interventions and prevention tips like this are the key to working together and making us stronger as a whole instead of by ourselves. " Together we are stronger!" So let's prove this right now and right here. I can't wait to read all your ideas, your replies, and tips. Fancy.
Last month I had 31 falls and the medics came and picked me up off the floor three times. The third time they said she's this place looks familiar. Ding ding ding ding ding I'm now a frequent flyer! I don't want to keep doing that. I have to work with these guys when I'm a Cert member. I've had home health things last 3 weeks what's physical therapy and it's a stage twice a week. Wednesday my mom said that I looked so much better than should see me in a long time. I wanted to say if you were on house arrest for 3 weeks you look pretty good too! I hope next week I get released I'm falling less the last 4 days 5 days no falls yay 😁
MSfrog, excellent excellent point! Physical Therapy cannot only strengthen you it can teach you or relearn you a safe way to walk after a serious illness or a series of Falls. When we have repetitive Falls one on top of another we are doing something wrong and take it to a physical therapist and let them evaluate our walking and fix its' mechanics. Not to mention PT is an excellent way to strengthen the muscles we need to be safe while walking. I'm so very glad you thought to add PT to the list. Together we are stronger and smarter! Thanks. Fancy.
Perhaps I shouldn’t respond since I have not yet had a fall. I’ve had several close calls. Sometimes it’s been from a balance issue that popped up quickly. Other times, it was from me being overly confident and not taking a cane. I don’t often need my forearm crutches, but when use them, I move more slowly and cautiously. I have a Rollator, but rarely think about using it.
I wish there were local “ fall clinics” to teach us and the many others who tend to fall how to prevent falls and what to do when we fall. Im glad you brought this up, Fancy1959 . I may send a suggestion to our local hospitals and neurologist’s offices.
Read sashaming1 post about falling, it’s really good with lots of suggestions. Blessings Jimeka 👍
Thank you!
Greaterexp, course I'm tickled pink that you responded this life having fallen yet. Each and every person's input is a big benefit here including yours. Realizing that you've come close to falling and putting in what has caused these near misses helps look at that falling from a different viewpoint. As MSfrog stated, I think one of our best defenses and "falling clinic" or prevention Clinic is to think about going to physical therapy and having the physical therapist Morgana walking and strengthen the muscles we depend on to hit us from point A to point B safely. And to also work on the mechanics of our actual walking. I love your idea of a walking Clinic something we need to work on smaller level in the areas we live. Together we are smarter! Fancy.
Things I have learned: when it's dark like night time or in a space with no light (rooms in my old house with no windows) , teeny-weeny steps-shuffle combined with hands slightly outstretched, elbows at the waist and slow, very slow forward progress. Result: Feet will feel stuff on the floors and the ups and downs, hands will feel impediments to the front L and R and sides. I have never fallen in the dark doing this.
Outside "walking" with friends without my sticks ("stix") I have found I must concentrate on each foot and the terrain. No talking or distraction. If they are going too fast for me, I humbly request a forearm to hold onto. Usually someone will be happy to supply that.
If bereift of sticks, crutches,and forearms, like in the garden, I have great difficulty seeing the humps in the grass...I slightly flex my knees and hope. I know I cannot fall or I will cook in the sun.
Stairs are a horror. The stix work best until my arms and shoulders give out. I can't sit and rest because then I can't get up. I hate stairs. I have no really good solution for stairs. Sometimes going up, I lean a little backward (I don't know I have done that until I start to fall), lose my balance and have to have someone push my bottom to realign me. I just hate stairs.
I look forward to hearing from everyone about this. Nemaste.
When I fall, it's almost always because I am not concentrating on the task at hand which is... walking.
I still think it's strange to even have to consider where my feet are going to step every !@#$%6z time I walk.
Is that weird? I don't know.Maybe I should watch where I am going,right?
Maybe that's why my nickname was "Grace" as a child.🤣
falalalala, I hate to admit it, but when I see people nonchalantly walking down the street not thinking about what they're doing or where they're going or how they are walking, it makes me extremely jealous! I miss those days as does I think anybody with balance issues. Fancy.
I have to agree and then I start to think how I used to be and that’s definitely not a good idea! I really have to start thinking and accepting how things are now and not how I used to be! I just have to take my time walking and probably do look like I’m in my 80’s lol but have not fallen yet but have come close quite a few times! Much love to everyone with this annoying disease that is MS xxxxxxx ❤️
Yep, I've learned that adjusting to changes is key to remaining happy.
I agree,I have often thought, people don't appreciate the fact they can walk normal,I am also jealous alittle,I never considered it when I walked normally,,
They just might be envious of your strength. 
Amen to that Pam. I used to be an athlete and play competitive volleyball and ride horses Non-Stop. I could do things on the volleyball court that nobody else could do spinning to get balls landing on my knees and using my momentum to slide across the floor another 10 to 15 feet to get to a ball that nobody else could get to, blocking men on a men's net etc etc. And I have to admit never once did I consider all the poor souls out there who had trouble simply going from point A to point B. Well that is no longer the case. Now I totally understand anybody who struggles with their balance and or their Mobility. I try to keep positive positive attitude about what I can do and what I can as well but like I said every once in a while that green-eyed monster rears its head in me. Sometimes, as I watch young people and even 50 and 60 year olds walk without thinking anything about it and talking with friends and kicking their feet up so to speak without any care in the world.
I think that admitting that to yourself though it's all part of the package of understanding your limitations and a learning to cope and to accept them. I don't feel like I've let the world down when that monster with the green eyes rears its ugly head. I just simply tap it down and wish that were me once again as I Venture Ford on my scooter or with my walker. I hope that if because of my athletic background if anything it will help me to help others who find themselves in the same situation that I have found myself in. It's hard to cancel and help people who are having a hard time adjusting to the disability they are currently facing when you haven't had the same issue attack you. By wading through my disability and by slowly watching my athleticism drain away and be replaced by lack of balance and mobility I can be a hopefully become a guiding light to those who find themself in a similar situation. I have to believe this is how I can make a difference and go about trying to help those who need a coach in this new world of disability. Of all the things I've coached in my life which were many and which most were active and athletic, I have to admit I never thought my greatest challenge would be to become a coach for those to learn to deal with their disabilities and except their new path in life. But, over the past few years I have found it to be extremely challenging and extremely rewarding! Fancy.
I miss running...especially to the bathroom.
On the good side, my timing has been getting a little better.
The times that I have fallen are just that...not watching where I was walking. I hate looking down all the time, but every time I look up I lose my balance. There is a positive thing about looking down besides not falling is I always find money on the ground. I call it "pennies from heaven." Usually, after I find coins I get even more money from somewhere else. It's strange but I'm not complaining.
Here are a few things that helped me. 1.) Those really high class always $10 at Walmart Gym Shoes, with paper thin soles and absolutely no arch support, which after researching, even some podiatrists are saying are good for walking....yeah, who's doing much more these days! Because, like walking bare footed, you feel the ground better. Every pebble, every crack!... And it only takes a couple months to literally wear holes in them, so you don't ever have to wash them!
2.) I did move the handrail on the steps so I don't have to stand at the top step and start taking the first step to reach the handrail. I never fell down those stairs, but it's a long set, and I always worried about making it, especially in the dark. Now I can reach the handrail before I start. It ends before I hit ground, but there, who cares?. I can take a wack on the tile from 1 step! Never did.
3. There's no shame in wall walking! My grandmother did. Many 90+ old people do! We just got there before our time! So....get with it! Just keep you hands clean so you don't dirty the walls!
4. Stay away from things you can fall on! It takes a lot longer to heal broken ribs... than black and blue and scrapes and scratches. Ribs are the worst, because what can they do? At least if you break a bone they give you a cast. Broken or fractured ribs.......live with it they say. Then like everything else, you have to train yourself to block out another pain!
Great ideas!
Mark, fortunately you don't have to break or crack ribs to cause months of Misery with them. Falling and hitting your rib area can cause them to dislocate and takes forever to heal up if you don't find the right doctor to help you. I had dislocated ribs and had extreme discomfort and pain with them for over a year till I found the right doctor to fix the issue. If you push the rib joint or head out of the socket it is extremely painful and hard to keep ii in the socket until it heals. Handrails are very important to have any place that we might challenge our balance like going up and down steps or in and out of doorways etc.
I can't use the ultra cheap shoes with no arch support due to having issues with my feet. if I don't have good arch support in my shoes my toes curl under a lot worse and walking becomes painful and difficult, I also need firm, stable, well fitting shoes under my feet to prevent my foot and ankle from Rolling to the side. Shoes have to be stable and come up to the side of my ankle above the ankle to help me keep my lower foot stable. If I were cheap shoes with no side supports on the shoes my whole foot with Twist on me and walking becomes a real Challenge and following or should I say kissing the ground becomes a real Danger.
I think a Common Thread I'm seeing in most of the answers so far is an important idea to stress. Whatever you need to stay safe, whatever equipment keeps you safe from falls, thinking about what you're doing and where you're going and where your feet are going, all are important tools to use to prevent Falls. Do not put your self image above your safety! Whatever safety equipment makes you steadier, USE! Believe me, using a walker or rollator, or whatever safety equipment you need, bruises your self-image much much less than breaking a bone or giving yourself a concussion. Keep the ideas come in and share your experience people. We've just scratched the surface let's keep it up! Fancy.
I still use a walker nearly every time I go grocery shopping! And yes, there are times I miss the added security of the cane, but, I've been a low risk kind of guy. As safety manager for my companies, we never cut corners there! Much to the dislike many times of workers who knew better, I made it clear, safety was never to be a short cut, and immediate grounds for dismissal. Our no accident history made our workmen's compensation insurers happy, and yes, our employees.
Regarding the shoes, my feet aren't perfect by any means. It helped that I couldn't feel them for so many years. And yes, I have great walking, hiking, hunting, shoes and boots. Still, I do better in those cheap things! Yes, I have broken in the boots properly...
And yes, a couple times it took many months till I no longer felt the pain from damaged ribs. So, as long as one wasn't sticking out, I'm Okay!?!? Luckily, I'm finally over all that. Definitely not fun. Oh, and describing your rib injury that way, sends shivers up my spine!
I think some of my problem is impatience,trying to hurry from I place to another even with a cane I fall,just mindfulness,I try sooo hard to hang on my old life,when we all think about it,I am sure we all have had life changing events other than ms, and we changed and adjusted but I seem to have a problem with this life changing event, I am afraid if I adjust to it ,it has won...I literally am fighting every step of the way,but I diagress,throw rugs are my worse enemy had to get rid of them,being in a hurray,carrying something too heavy,but mostle, not listening to my body I have a habit of keep pushing instead of listening that I need rest
Pam, amen! I understand your sentiment totally! I know it's hard sometimes to think how lucky we are but this is simply a life-changing event not a life-ending event! We can adapt! We can still plan our life to live to the fullest and just alter our goals and the way we do things. This will not end our life like many of the chronic diseases out there we still have a long future ahead of us. Realize, however, if we let this Beast hurt us and we fall continually we lose more than if we slow down and beat it at its own game!
Moving on to the second part of your post, I too hate throw rugs. Add to that list area rugs. Shoes that somehow mysteriously keep being taken off in the middle of the walkway and left. Dogs that won't get out of your way. LOL! Etc. Etc....
Fancy! Thank you for the reply!
I fall fairly Frequently, So far no major injuries, just a few bruises and hurt pride. I agree that it is good to try to figure out what contributed to the fall and try to prevent them. For me, I have found I usually have something in my hands and can’t use the wall for balance which I need to. Or often it has involved twisting, which causes me to lose my balanced. I agree with much of what I have read in other responses, you have to slow down and function as the new you and realize you can’t do what you did before, such as come in from. running errands with 7 bags of groceries, a kid in tow, your purse and a drink. Now, I am happy to get myself in the house with my slightly bruised ego and send my husband out for the rest.
DQ, sorry to shorten to such an overuse nickname but I've got a lot of people to reply to! Your input was awesome here. Thanks so much for sharing. I totally agree that often times I too have had things in my hands that didn't belong there when I needed my hands to hold onto walls, hold on to hold bars, or to simply be on my Walker or have my cane in hand instead of carrying packages. This will sure to make the list on the final break them then make of what we come up with in what is becoming a fantastic post. I look forward to talking to you in the near future Disney Queen. Take care until I do an empty those hands! Together we are stronger! Fancy.
Thank you for starting this discussion.
I trip regularly leading to a fall or not. For me, it's always:
- towards the end of the day (never in the morning) when my body is more tired
- I don't trip on uneven terrain because I pay attention to my steps. It always happens in familiar or flat places like right in front of my house when I rush to check the mailbox
- when I try to hurry
and the shoes have something to do with it. Good shoes that fit well. I've also got rid of most of my shoes to only use 2-3 that I'm familiar with. Take a pair of shoe you've not used in a while and you're feet might unpleasantly surprise you in their ability to do strange things...
I exersise my ankle and feet all the time. There's ton of video on the web to strengthen and keep flexibility to avoid the falls for as long as possible.
Anaishunter, working and exercising the ankles and feet are a fantastic idea! Without our face working properly we have no hope to keep it under us. Strengthening our ankles and me personally trying to get the ankles to get rid of the spasticity in them so they don't roll so easily when stressed will help everyone in this chat room to think about the exercises they need to make the lower part of their legs true strong base to work off of! Thanks for sharing. Your ideas were fantastic! Together we are stronger. Fancy.
I've been thinking about this more:
I've tested shoes/boots that hold your feet tight vs shoes with little support that let you feel the ground. No conclusion, really.
I lean towards not adopting any support right now because I believe my body has to keep working and relearning how to do things right. So I force myself to go up and down the stairs with no support. It was hard at first but now, occasionally I can even run up the stairs.
My troubles w/ ms are always in the evening - tripping, poor bladder control, electricity in knee,... so maybe I need to set a curfew
I truly understand what you mean about my Ms and disability levels acting up more in the evenings. It's because this dreaded monster drains our energy level so quickly and are fatigue sets in. Once that happens after a certain amount of energy is expelled I too become much more prone to having accidents. We all need to remember one of the primary conditions we must live with when dealing with this monster is that it dramatically increases our levels of fatigue. MS fatigue and the fatigue that the general public feels after A Hard Day's Work cannot be compared. Most times after just a few hours of low-level activities my fatigue, where most people would feel their on a scale of 1 to 10 about a 2 to 3 often runs again on the scale of 1 to 10 about a 15. Thanks for bringing up this important factor in our falling. We need to be very conscious of the energy we expel and to make sure we don't overdo are level of activity in completely drain our energy tank. To do so sets is up for bad things including many many Falls. Fancy.
Hi Fancy 1959
My name is Becky I guess I'm considered a newby. I was diagnosed in 2009 RRMS.
I get nervous speaking about my life because I've been through a lot not just living with MS.
Anyways I'm blessed. My Lord has always been with ME. I want to pipe in about falls. In 2009 I had a SEVERE EXACERBATION! Bad to where I was paralized and had to learn to walk, talk etc. Had 9 high doses of intervenious steroids etc. Anyways took years to get walking and being able to be physically active again. I never thought I walk again. In that time I've fallen twice. Out of the blue. From MS I'm sure. I've had MS vertigo and was light headed dizzy a lot through the years.
I am stronger now physically because of yoga, exercise, working by cleaning and painting inside of houses. But I have moments where I'm walking up stairs and will almost trip over my feet. I think I'm developing foot drop. Also I can run into walls or hit my head on things at times. This because of MS. I can't remember what they call it. But I have always had issues with walking. I have to always concentrate with walking even though I don't always do that. But if I constantly think about my walking than I don't have an issue falling or tripping.
I hope I made some sense in my explanation. God bless everyone on this wonderful forum!
hi again
Plus the kind of shoes I wear make difference. In the beginning of MS I couldn't wear shoes for about a year because of the pain. Now I can only wear shoes with good support cushion inside them. My feet still are sore though most of the time. And where you are walking plays a part like gravel rocky ground up hill down hill night time dark rooms and so on. Lots of people because of not always being balance plus too many people around me I feel I can fall or get unbalanced. It's just a consent thing always having to think about how your body is going to react because of aneixties, balance issues, heat intolerance etc all play a roll in walking. Talking thinking too.
I fell only one time and that's because I was walking in a very dim store and it had steps that I didn't notice and bam, busted up one of my knees. From that day forth I try to be extra careful in very dim places that I am not used too. When I'm with my boyfriend he walks in front of me and I watch his step and copy them. He will yell out step, step, step when it dark. Its the same for me with steps. I don't know why but after the first few steps they seem to all go flat and it looks like regular floor and I stumble realizing they are still steps. Again my boyfriend walks in front of me when I'm going down steps and in back of me when I go up the step, in case I fall I will fall on him. I'm usally ok walking up the step. Steps are not my friend at all and half way up I feel like I climbed the Alp mountains. If I'm alone I watch the people walking in front of me and copy their steps.
I had falls before but the fall that I had last week scared me the most. I also have low blood pressure and orthostatic hypertension so it's no wonder that I ended up falling. I had just woken up and looked out the window and I felt lightheaded and dizzy. I tried holding onto the window for dear life but I must have passed out. I fell hitting my hit on the tile shower wall then landed on the tile floor. I had the worst headache when waking up. My husband had to call an ambulance and once at the hospital they also said that my blood work showed that my sugar levels were off. I don't know how to avoid another fall like this.
I've had a few falls. Put my foot in a pot hole the wrong way while running and broke my ankle. On another occasion I was trying to climb over a cable separating the road from a sidewalk and tripped over the cable trying to get to the sidewalk, broke my arm. I didn't lift my trailing leg as high as I thought I had. I've tripped on steps going up because I didn't lift my feet up as far as I thought I had. I've also tripped over my own feet for not lifting them as high as I think I do. My husband and physical therapist have both noticed that I tend to drag my heels on the floor when I walk. Problem is that most of the time I don't notice that I'm doing that. Also high heels and balance issues don't mix. Last time I tried to wear them was to go see a play as part of a girls night out thing and fell into a tree...The tree faired better than I did and was probably laughing at me...I've not worn them since.
To keep my heels from dragging I feel like I have to exaggerate my walking movements but if anyone is watching I look like I'm walking normal.
Hi Fancy I have been reading these post & they are very informative, It has been a while since I had a bad fall BUT I watch where I walk & I try to wear the right type of shoes for where I am walking. I had several falls mostly over my own feet or not watching where I was stepping. NOW I know I have to be careful so I watch where I'm stepping, if its dark I turn on a light or get a flash light. The proper type of shoes is good, using walking aides Is good or having some one to walk with is good. Watching that your clothing does not hinder you. Also watch out for the type of medicine one is taking when Dr. put me on high blood pressure meds he told me to watch it when I stood up!! Oh yeah & there are a lot of meds that say may cause dizziness when starting this med. I can't turn my head too fast when walking or standing as that causes dizziness. As several have mentioned early in the day is better than later. I always use railing when using stairs going up is easier than going down for me. My vision makes it seem like I'm way up when I try going down stairs.
I hope this helps. I know all these posts have helped.
one more thing that I started to do unconsciously: I walked with my feet slightly further apart (less than an 1/8 of an inch) which gives me a much better base for balance.
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