Near Falls

Near falls are different than a full fall, than a land on the ground, face plant kind of fall. A near fall is when you catch yourself, or land on something so you don’t actually land on the ground.

I’ve had two near falls in the last week.

The first occurred when I was unloading something from my car to the walker. I use the walker to help me...walk, of course, but it also comes in handy to carry stuff. That day I had groceries, and the bags began to roll off the walker, I leaned forward to grab them before they fell to the ground. My head spun and I lurched forward, falling awkwardly into the walker.

The other day, I was looking for something in the bottom drawer. I have a bad knee and can’t kneel or bend at the knee, so I have to lean over from the waist. Again, things started to spin and I fell into the open drawer, caught my right index finger between the drawer and the cabinet, and landed heavily on my left wrist.

My wrist is still swollen and painful, but as I have full range of movement I think it’s just a sprain.

I remember walking outside, taking a few minutes to enjoy my garden, and do some weeding. I automatically used my cane to maintain my balance when I leaned over to pull at the weeds. But I don’t use the cane in the house, or walking about the car when I have to walker. So, this was a good lesson, and timely, as the next time I could fall for real.

I need to keep a hand on something when bending over, much the same as I do when standing. If I stand without touching something I tend to sway and fall backwards. I realize I have to make these concessions to make to be safe, and hate the thought that I might have to resort to using the cane in the house. My place is small enough that I’ve been able to make do with hand holds on the walls and furniture, and can leave the cane at the door.

Small, in the grand scheme of things, and I hope not a possible sign of changes to come. Now my wrist hurts from typing, so I guess I’m done for the day.