How is the best way to fall over?

It wasn't so much a fall as the result of canine malice of forethought. I was on serious granny duty last week – school holidays and baby grandson admitted to hospital with absentdaughter staying with him. Fool that I am, I thought it would be a good idea to take the family's unruly, boisterous labrador for a walk. She clearly has absolutely no idea about walking properly on a lead and, in case that wasn't bad enough, went completely berserk when she saw a field full of cows. The result was that my already painful and stressed body and arms simply couldn't restrain her and I went flat on my face on the pavement. I still managed to hang on to the lead as the thought of trying to climb over an electrified fence and round her up in a field full of cows was more than I could bear!

Oh absent, that sounds so painful, I hope you're ok? Is DGS better?

Gracefully

Well done absent for hanging onto her lead. Hope you're not too battered and bruised. If the worst had happened and you'd attempted to a) climb an electrified fence then b) tried to round her up I think it would have qualified for a scene in 'Last of the Summer Wine'

How is baby grandson?

absent my heart goes out to you. I've been on serious nan duty a number of times since my son has been ill and it is a real responsibility. Luckily they don't have a dog but my gd1 likes to take her scooter to the school gate to meet her brother. A few months ago she let the scooter go and it ran towards the road and there was a car coming. I moved like lighting not easy in my late 60s and just caught the scooter as a car came to a quick halt.

Years ago I had a boisterous dog and he got into a fight in the park. I ended up on the ground holding tightly to the lead. I was much younger then and bounced back.

I hope you are OK and your grandson too.

My DH is constantly concerned about my ability to fall over nothing. I trip on our back steps on a regular basis and usually have bruises with no idea how I got them.

My last 'productive' fall happened two years ago now (I must be due for another) when I managed to twist my ankle on a tussock of grass walking DD's spaniel down a gentle slope. I sat down with a thump gracefully onto the bank - but there was an ominous crack from my left ankle. I was wondering how to get home and fumbling for my phone to ring DH when a landrover pulled up and out leapt a Mr Darcy in riding breeches. He manfully took charge and immediately phoned for a paramedic. Then my physiotherapist stopped and then two nurses on their way to work. (Did I say it was near the medical centre?). DH eventually arrived after the paramedic (the medical centre and the church are both called St Michaels) and stood by as the two blokes hoisted me into the car. Talk about overkill! I had snapped the tendon in my ankle and I only gave up my stick completely last spring.

Be yew careful - all of you - especially Luckygirl!

Clearly I'm not alone then, that's so good to know! for all wounded and wobbly gransnetters!

Tempting providence I know but I haven't had any serious falls - just twisted my ankle a couple of times stepping out of the back door.

My mother has had a couple of falls, once tripping over nothing and cracking her head on a window cill, fortunately no damage except a very impressive bruise - must have a very thick skull because a care assistant dropped the bed control on her head with again only a bruise to show for it. She did recently fall moving herself from her wheelchair to an armchair and broke her hip. She is recovering well and is back causing chaos and near nervous breakdowns of nursing staff in the nursing home by insisting on doing things for herself!!

to all those who have suffered falls.

Hope you're over your fall by now Jings, it's easily done.
I've had two falls in the last 5 years, both due to carelesness, looking at something else except the way I was going.
The first was in town, like Jings, a kind man helped me up, then I went in the Bank and they put a dressing on my knee which was bleeding.
The last one, I fell off a stepladder onto concrete and banged my head on the lawnmower - had slight concussion. Landed on my hip replacement too
It's worrying because bones can so easily be broken when you're older.

Falls in the elderly (sorry! ) are a very serious problem. As with my Dad they can be what is known in the trade as a "terminal event."

I always use my stick out of doors. partly so that I can walk faster on my painful foot, and partly because my balance is so hopeless. I take no risks, because I know that I have risk factors already and do not wish to add to them. I would love to be able to prance about and run (what is that?) after my DGC.

Take care folks - you seem to be as accident-prone as I am!

Hope you're ok, Jingle. That must have been a shock.

The best way to fall is on your back in the garden pond, as I did a few years ago, trying to prevent the dog wading in. Legs in the air, nothing on under my dressing gown which fell open. Very undignified but no harm done.

At our age (well, my age) a fall is far more of a shock than it was when we were younger. When I fell over outside the bank, I was very shaken and was most grateful to the bank staff who took me in and made me a cup of tea. Whereas when I came off my bike and suffered a world class black eye at the age of 16, I just got back on my bike and went home to find a steak to put on the bruise!

I had a spectacular fall about five minutes before I was due to leave home to lead a course where the subject was 'healing'. Turned up with my arm in a sling made of a brightly coloured scarf and took me and my badly broken elbow off to A&E the following morning!

to jingl and others recovering from a fall because although we're joking it can actually be quite scary and leave people feeling quite vulnerable.

GA. What a courageous effort. That sounds as if it was over and above the call of duty.

I fell out of a train in Sri Lanka. Luckily it was stationary at the time! I'd been sitting in the open doorway with my feet hanging out as we sped through the mountains. As we arrived at a station some other passengers wanted to get off so to get out of their way I decided to jump down onto the platform, which is at track level. As I took off the toe of one of my boots got caught inside the leg of my trousers and I crashed to the concrete platform. Nobody attempted to help me. I wonder if they thought I was drunk? Luckily no bones were broken but I had the most fabulous bruise on my thigh. I put the lack of major injury down to the thick layer of fat on my leg. I believe slim people can buy padded knickers which which help to cushion their falls.

I was interested to read that you use a stick ,lucky girl because you have a sore foot. Looking at your profile photo you don't look nearly old enough!!!! Now reading what you say about risk and the elderly I am wondering if I ought to seriously think about one when walking the dog as I often find myself flat on my back and shaken up. I am usually on my own for miles so no-one to pick me up.

I always take a stick with me on rough ground, whitewave. I have a foldable one. I reckon I fall over at least once a year, somehow. DD is currently carrying on with the tradition. She broke her ankle the week after I did last year, and like me is still having tendon problems. We went for a walk last weekend when they came up to visit, and she caught her foot in a pothole. She has a fracture just above her ankle and is having to wear a large black boot and use crutches. Only 30 and already has broken herself twice in one year.

I am so sorry whenim64 but your post is hilarious!!!

Sorry again.

Mind you, if you'd have banged your head....!

The goldfish weren't too pleased when I landed on them, Jingle. I've had a few falls since then, most recently doing the splits in the garden when the path was slippy. Just waiting for arthroscopy on my dodgy knee which improved immensely after I recovered from the last mishap.

I didn't realise the leverage bit of my left knee had swanned off into the sunset until my niece's wedding when, after the jollities, a very merry crowd of us were driven back to the hotel in a minibus. When I tried to step down facing forward in a crouched position nothing happened and I sank gracefully into a heap on the pavement. DS pulled me to my feet and do you think anyone would believe my cries of (trying not to laugh) 'It's my knee, it's my knee?'

I have since discovered that I can accomplish the same manoever backwards without any problems.

I tripped up walking downstairs carrying my first born when he was just about a year old. I kept running as I could not grab the stair rail without dropping the baby. I hit the floor hard with left foot the ankle swelled up impressively straight away.

I phoned the next door neighbour who rescued the baby grabbed som nappies and took him to her house. He was fine, a neighbour across the road took me to A &E. I just could not get hold of DH until about 8pm.
There was no break in my ankle but I could not weight bear and it hurt like B if I didn't keep it raised.
DH took me over to Mils next day and she looked after me and the baby for a good week as I could not put my foot to ground.
I do think that this fall might have caused a stress fracture in my lower spine, which was the cause of the back problems I developed about 3yrs and one baby later.

Oh luckygirl it's that "falls in the elderly" phrase that chills my heart! Having worked in a supportive role with elderly people in my forties I now realise many of them weren't old at all...just a few years older than I am now, 65! I tripped over a box at home a few months ago, landed in another box full of wine glasses (no alcohol involved, truly there wasn't) slicing my forearm, while gashing my head on the sharp edge of a radiator in the process....it wasn't pretty, me and the carpet bear the scars! OH kept telling people I'd "had a fall", I kept correcting him saying I'd just fallen over. Not the same thing at all in my book! Am I in denial that I'm getting older...too b****y right I am!!

Sigh! I thought I had got away with it. Was bending over cleaning in bathroom. Something clicked horribly in my back just where the marks are. Now got horrific pain in side of back round to the front. Obviously bruise to ribs has come out.

Am now sitting in straight backed chair keeping very still. Apart from GN ing finger.

Honestly! Was fine yesterday!