I've taken a spill three times in the past month, the latest being today while painting a wall. What can be done to prevent this, if anything? I'm getting nervous!
Falling: I've taken a spill three times in... - Cure Parkinson's
Falling
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Beckey
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Hi Beckey. Falling can have many causes. I have found that with Pd. the most common causes are lack of concentration on what we are doing and lack of muscly strength. This is a bit of a simplification but it is a start. Of course, it can be caused by an ear problem or another different brain problem. But let us stick to the most common ones.
I have asked many people, including Pd. patients, "What were you thinking about when you fell?" Their answers invariably had nothing to do with what they were doing. For instance, the person involved had been walking along a pathway and suddenly tripped and fell. Their mind was not thinking about where they were walking and what the ground was like in front of them. Most people said they were thinking about what they were going to do or about their grandchild or other member of their family. We all do this! Very few of us are concentrating on what we are doing, but as we get older and our bodies get weaker, we are no longer capable of correcting a fall as it starts to happen. When we were younger and tripped over an object we were able to get our feet into a position to prevent us from falling, but now, as we get older that no longer is possible. The best solution to this problem is to do some regular exercise to strengthen our leg muscles and improve our reflexes.
And to finish this response, we have to develop the habit of CONCENTRATING ON WHAT WE ARE DOING!
Good luck for the future
John
Thank you, John!
in reply to Beckey
My last very serious fall, though no broken bones, was August 26.
Because I have many near-falls, despite P.T. and home exercise, I have tried hard to recall what might have caused that fall so I could prevent another one.
I couldn't tweak my memory so I started to keep a log of where I was & what I was doing(or not doing) at the time of a near-fall. For me was one of three things every time.
Tipping my head backwards to put in eyedrops or rinse my hair in the shower; turning a corner to enter another room or turning for any reason & when outside not looking ahead(not down) to get the lay-of-the-land( an upcoming slope, curb or gravel).
Having painted many a wall, I can see you tilting your head back to see where the roller or brush goes next or leaning down to put paint on roller then rising too fast. The latter could be orthostatic hypotension or just plain losing your place in space or wobbling as you moved up or down.
Hope these true-life experiences of mine help you.
Be alert, be safe please
Peter
Beckey in reply to
You nailed it, Peter.
Sorry to hear you have been falling. Have you injured yourself? Hope you are ok.
I can appreciate how you are nervous about this. I hope a fellow PWP can offer some suggestions.
Stay safe.
good morning Beckey i like your name first kiss from a girl named Beckey.
Hope you are okay
What kind of fall, trip,dizzy,faint,weak legs,loss of control due to PD,sudden rise then fall,
Good luck
Beckey in reply to
It was just like John said -- I started to trip but couldn't correct myself.
My hubby has that problem from time to time. He often feels like he's leaning forward & it sometimes causes him to fall. We thought PD meds would help, but his neurologist told us that they're learning the best thing to do is to exercise, strengthen your core muscles, concentrate on standing erect with chest, shoulders & head back.
The physical therapist calls it "Power Up". The few physical therapy appointments he's had concentrate on taking bigger/longer steps when walking, not shuffling his feet -- remember heel first when walking and to 'Power Up".
He fell forward when working on the car...so you know it's not related to walking. Just like your fall when painting. Strengthening your core muscles should help.
With PD you have to concentrate on your walk & standing erect because the dopamine in our brains does that naturally for us (who don't have PD), but when you have PD, you lose the dopamine & have to concentrate on walking & standing erect. So you need to be sure to concentrate too and exercise. It's easy for me to walk, etc, but those with PD need to concentrate to walk even picking your legs up to take a step can be difficult.
So exercise -get those core muscles stronger, your thigh muscles too & concentration.
I'll try to explain 'Power Up' . To accomplish this my hubby was told to stand with his legs spread, I think they were about shoulder width, or a little less..it's hard to remember exactly.
He then reached up to grab handles that were suspended above him. This put his arms straight up in the air & his legs & arms kind of formed an X. This position straightened his posture, his chest, head and neck were no longer leaning forward. I remind him to 'Power Up' each time I see him leaning forward & looking down when he walks. I also remind him to 'pick up his feet' when I hear him shuffling. I'll sometimes say, heel first. I help him because he has a lot to concentrate on. Not gonna lie, sometimes he gets irritated with my help & I'm wondering if I should continue helping or ignore the issues.
I'm not a doctor, this is just what I've experienced with my hubby.
in reply to ParkinsonSpouse
Where you from 1:00 am here in Texas
fantastic to read, thanks so much for putting it all so succinctly. With LSVT Big it's called " standing BIG", same thing.
I don't think there's a right or wrong to helping your husband to remember, no doubt sometimes he'll be irritated, other times he'll be grateful and understand you're doing it for his good. Just maybe ask him occasionally (when you're not walking) if he finds it helpful that you remind him, I bet he'll say yes.
Thank you for your insight. I'll try that.
I'm in Ohio -- 2:15a & need to hit the sack. It's late & I need to be up at 8a tomorrow.
in reply to ParkinsonSpouse
Good night
Re Parkinson Spouse and the advice "concentrate on standing erect with chest, shoulders & head back. The physical therapist calls it "Power Up". Nordic walking, i.e. with two Nordic poles achieves just this and much else helpful in counteracting the effect of parkie muscles especially if you use the proper technique. I always feel more upright when I have done a walk with my poles. The other thing is not to change direction too suddenly because our feet do not always follow suit. Also not lifting our feet properly, which happens to all of us in time, with or without PD, is a factor even when not obviously shuffling. I thought I was going to finally give up my walks with walking groups until I realised that if I consciously lift my knees I walk much better. My perception is that I am doing a fair impression of John Clees Ministry of silly walks but in fact I am walking more normally and better able to keep up with the group.
He only had 2 sessions with a PT. The first session she had him use walking sticks, I'll bet they were Nordic poles...I forgot all about that. I'm glad you brought it up. Maybe we should purchase a couple so he can use them every so often.
Just to echo what cabbagepatch has said, I never have both wrist straps done up as before dx., with an ordinary pole tucked under my sleeve, I tripped and got tangled up with the stick because I couldn't throw it out of my way - result broken wrist. Two sticks are better than one for exercise/walking purposes as one stick tends to aggravate any tendency to lean to the right or left.
Thank you, that's good information.
always make sure you keep hand free at all times at least .while standing or walking .
you will probably find it happens when turning or in tight places . don't forget if walking the person coming towards you won't know you have PArkinsons and then you cannot edge out of his or her way .
I fell a couple of weeks ago. Mine was turning around too quickly. The sinemet, when working too strong, dskinesis, makes me feel off balance.
Sorry I meant diskenesia.
Hey Beckey, sorry about your falling. It happens to many of us. I've gone through periods where I fall more frequently. My falls were related to meds wearing off. A few months ago my MDS suggested I try taking amantadine again which I hadn't taken since my DBS. It worked like a miracle. Unfortunately amantadine loses some efficacy after a time. Are you experiencing falls when your medication wears off or are you falling due to dyskinesia?
Gee, I don't know which was the cause. I tried amantadine for a while. It was a disaster. 
I guess the falls have been around mid-day, a couple hours after taking my meds.
Maybe you're experiencing "wearing off." Just be careful! I'd monitor your meds/effects (positive and negative) for a while. Maybe you can see a trend and then make adjustments.
I have a large blue splash on my deck-- I fell a few years ago while carrying an open can of the prettiest blue paint!
All of the replies make sense--my neuro advised me to walk with nordic poles and they are much better than a cane or other walkimg aids. Also, the "BIG" program was a big help to me and my balance and ambulation. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!
What Meds are you taking? Ropinerol?
No. I only take propranolol for the shaking and cymbalta for nerve pain.
fortunately i haven't taken any passing out for quite some time. now . but i do lose my balance on occasion but usually manage to grab something to keep from going down.
at certain times of the month i have the feeling that i'm not thinking quite as clearly as i would like. i think it depends on the moon phase, but i used to take a lot of falls.
once when i thought i was going to fall on the bed and didn't put my arms up to protect my face. the bed is nice and soft right? well to my surprise i landed on the floor. and i was almost in shock. but i'm still here. as you can see. the other time i was feeling like i would throw up, so instead of going in the bath room, i went out to the kitchen, hit my forehead on the sink, bounced back and hit the back of my head on the stove, which knocked me over to the floor . another hit on the head. and broke part of my dentures.
that was quite a ride. the neuro had me go thru lots of tests on that one , came out fine and he changed my prescription to carba-dopa leva- dopa. . and have taken a few falls since but nothing serious.
hope you didn't fall into the paint.
Ha ha! That's funny, because the first thing I did after the little birdies quit flying around and around my head was to make sure paint hadn't splattered all over the place. Whew! To my relief, I was the only "casualty."
i'm glad you didn't fall into the paint, but, you maybe would have come around and see all your walls finished.
Beckey, I am trying to get my hubby to exercise without success. Have found when he does he is much stronger. As for you painting a wall, don't. Not being sarcastic. At my age there are many things I can't do so oh well. Used to love to paint, strip furniture but at my age can't do them anymore. BTW, I am 77, hubby with PSP is 78 
Auddonz (Audrey)
Well, that's the sorry reality, isn't it? I have to get used to avoiding all the risky stuff. Boy, I tell you that's tough. I've always taken pride in being able to do for myself. Oh well ... I always tell my kids, the first half of life is about generation and the second is about conservation. Now I'm stuck having to practice what I preach, ha!
put the can and brush away, and let someone else do it. or decide that you like it the way it is. no point in taking a bath in the stuff
hi becky,
my feet are all over the place. i never know which direction i'm going until i get there. the hallway wall does a pretty good job of stopping me but get a little bruised up. oh, i didn't think you were being flip. if we can't get thru this without humor, i pity us.
actually my dentures broke because they stayed in my mouth, it was a hard hit , but i 'm still here. i have a card in my pocket that says i am not intoxicated, i have Parkinson's . but i did send ten years of my life some 40+ years ago, to not be intoxicated. and now i guess i'm back at it , or so people would think. i too used to be like a monkey, cleaning my house. and getting a lot done during the day. now i can wash my curtains, but can't remember the order that they should be in to put them back up. fortunately my daughter was here for 4 days, and figured it out for me. i just blanked out, and that was a little scary. scarier then falling.
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