Can we talk falls?
Posted by Adorableviolet@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 126 comments
In the last two weeks, I have fallen three times. Sober. I was a klutz even in my youth but this seems excessive. Each time there was an external "cause" (today I tripped on my bell bottom pants and took a hard fall in front of CVS triggering the auromatic doors). Is this a me thing or a general aging thing? And why is it so hard to get up now?
Chestnut-Stoat@reddit
I took martial arts for plenty of years, and quickly recover my balance or a dropped item, or move out of the way, in real life. It really makes a difference.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
my husband too. i think i would look ridiculous. ha. bu worth a try
Chestnut-Stoat@reddit
what? no, you would look scary and competent! go for it!
Tinawebmom@reddit
Studies have shown that a decrease in vitamin D is tied to an increase in falls.
We're at that age.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
omg. my doc wants me to take vitamin D, and I keep forgetting! ty!
MyriVerse2@reddit
It's almost 2.5 years since I tripped on broken sidewalk. I still get pain in my knees from it when kneeling.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
arrgh! omg. walking it boston on the old cobblestone streets? fall central.
Jiglii@reddit
I tried to do a deep asian type squat and kept falling backwards like I've had a cerebellum stroke or something. It was enough to scare me into taking up mobility exercises off you tube and I'm feeling years younger now. Can even squat for as long as I want now.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
How long do you want to squat? ha. that's awesome though!
therelybare5@reddit
This is why I got my parents/in laws Apple Watches. For the fall notification.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Can you get me one? ha
LeafyCandy@reddit
I bent over to dry my hair (yes, I still dry upside down for volume like in 1988 lol) and almost kept going. Luckily I have a nice-sized backside so I had a counterweight to catch me. It was weird, though. Am I old enough for random falls already? I'm not even 50 yet.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Omg the upside down is still a must!
LeafyCandy@reddit
I’ve tried everything, but nothing compares. Especially as I age. My natural poof is dwindling.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
my hair is so thin and fine since menopause. mofu menopause! ha
No_Ask3786@reddit
You need to add resistance training and balance work into your health routine.
You’ll feel better, have better balance, will fall less, and if you do, will have an easier time getting up.
Age comes for us all but we can stave off the worst for a while
watch-nerd@reddit
Yep.
I also do explosive work to help preserve reaction time.
Balance work by climbing on logs and rocks on the beach.
I slip on slippery rocks sometimes but recover well
Impressive-Shame-525@reddit
I recommend judo or similar martial arts to folks to help teach how to fall.
Chestnut-Stoat@reddit
And it will inorove balance, flexibility, core strength, all muscle tone, speed, etc !
watch-nerd@reddit
I studied karate. I don't know how well rolling translates to reflexing slipping.
Chestnut-Stoat@reddit
I know people who studied judo or jujitsu or aikido and reflexively saved thenselves from faceplanting down flights of stairs or tripping while running.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
One of my recent falls was on a hill of beach rocks!
Laylay_theGrail@reddit
lol I slipped on a mossy rock and jarred my shoulder terribly. Turned into a loooong 18 months of frozen shoulder🤦♀️
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Omg. this one was my shoulder too. i cant hook my bra without wincing!
Laylay_theGrail@reddit
It was damn near impossible lol. I had to do the fasten in front and spin for almost a year! Hope your shoulder is better now
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
you too!
LadybugGal95@reddit
In addition to strength and balance, work on flexibility. Some falls could be prevented if we were a little more flexible.
Green-Eyed-BabyGirl@reddit
This. I highly recommend the book Forever Strong by Dr Lyon. It’s a normal part of aging to begin to lose muscle mass and have issues with perioperception but normal doesn’t mean it has to be that way…there’s issues with quality of information for nutrition and physical movement that has really messed up a lot of people’s health.
I also recommend Katy Bowman who calls herself a movement nutritionalist…formal exercise is like the tip top of a movement nutrition pyramid…there’s a whole new mindset you can develop when thinking about physical activity and health.
It could be hard to get up from the floor because you don’t on a regular basis. Getting down and up off the floor ought to be practiced daily. If you never sit on the floor anymore…and exclusively use chairs, then I recommend that you figure out a way to incorporate floor work in your life as a part of your daily physical activity.
LadybugGal95@reddit
I’m 48. I very purposely have sat on the floor gor years. People will offer to let me sit in a chair and I’ll say it’s fine and sit on the floor. People my age think I’m crazy. I just tell them if I want to be able to get up and down, I have to keep getting up and down. There’s even a test for 51-80 year olds that predicts mortality called the Sit-to-Rise Test (SRT) that looks at how well you can sit in the floor and get up without using your hands/arms to stabilize.
Green-Eyed-BabyGirl@reddit
Sitting on the floor is underrated. We’ve only been in our home for 5 years. We finally purchased again after years of renting. It’s taken time to figure out new furniture. We got a coffee table that we can use like a “low table” where we sit on poufs, bolsters, pillows…not quite the floor because we have hard flooring and haven’t sorted a rug. It’s all still a work in progress. My goal is to have a variety of ways to sit…the low table is large for games, puzzles, etc. It’s like a large lap desk.
mashed_pajamas@reddit
I’m 48 and I’m starting this tomorrow.
I actually enjoy sitting on the floor anyway but now I’ll do it with purpose.
mesablueforest@reddit
Second this!
GumbybyGum@reddit
I’m a faller too. A few years ago I fell and broke my thumb in 2 places. The next year I fell down the stairs and broke my wrist. I have a metal plate now.
benroon@reddit
‘Bell bottom pants’??? Is your village cut off from the rest of humanity?
loloandmomo@reddit
Same thing was happening to me a few years ago then I started doing core exercises and it has made all the difference. The NYT has some exercises you can try. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/well/move/balance-exercises-aging.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Affectionate_Toe9109@reddit
I fell UP the stairs... like WTF 40s, who ARE you??? 🤣
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
ha!!! it happens to me...depth perception shit!
nottodayautoimmune@reddit
I haven’t fallen but I used to tweak my ankles all the time. Turns out I have crappy connective tissue. Birkenstocks, Dr. Martens and Hokas have helped a lot.
JenniferJuniper6@reddit
Had the first one recently.
profcate@reddit
Balance is really tough for me and I am pretty sure it’s an age thing. What I do is strengthen my core and it helps.
Sucks to get old.
Sloth_grl@reddit
I am starting a work out routine doing yoga and Pilates to build my strength and balance. Of course i have been saying this for 3 months
kkbobomb@reddit
I’m so tired of falling. It’s been a rough few years. Couple times a month at least. Thankfully the only real lingering issue is a jacked up knuckle. Everything else has healed; took forever, but healed.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
What do you chalk all your falls up to? I am sorry!
kkbobomb@reddit
Oh there’s a long list of things it could be: age, menopause, weight fluctuations, eyesight, etc. At this stage of the game I’m just trying to accept I’m not a young whipper snapper anymore and I need to slow tf down.
gardenpony3@reddit
Lots of good advice here-also think about no more bell bottoms, no flip flops, throw rugs, add gripper tread to stairs at home. These ‘old people’ fall reducers can really help us not quite olds :)
captainCutler50@reddit
Try yoga, homie. Helped me tremendously with balance
Thomaswebster4321@reddit
I caught my toe on a pebble while wearing crocs and I went down in the driveway like a plank. Perfectly straight, like Timbeeeeer! I landed on my chest and elbows and it happened so fast that I didn’t even recognize that I was falling. The only thing that hurt was getting the wind knocked out out of me because my arms were close to my chest, and I barely got bruises on my elbows. Most of my weight landed on my chest. I had the strangest sensation of watching the ground rush up toward me though. And then I forgot I have a baby gate up for the dog, walked right into it in the middle of the night and landed on my face in the living room. That was the second time that I fell because of the baby gate, first time I caught my foot and landed on my hands and knees in the kitchen. I don’t think this is funny, because I live alone. Falling will make your health go to shit. I’m not even 60 and I have to pay attention to not falling now. Thank you very much for bringing this up, it’s been on my mind. I don’t know if you were trying to be funny, but if you were at least you opened up the topic and I appreciate you.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
of course. It's a mixture of humor and terror! ha. stay safe!
Alh840001@reddit
Coincidence, man.
Imisssizzler@reddit
I fell trying to kill a wasp and it was a whopper. I literally saw my feet before I hit the floor ass first. The pain that went up my spine was INSANE. I comforted myself with the fact that I didn’t break anything.
existdetective@reddit
Didn’t break anything THAT YOU KNOW OF. That’s the kicker at our age. Things do break but sometimes painlessly. Like our pride!
webelos8@reddit
I tripped over my dishwasher door the other day. I was alone but my pride still hurt plenty
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
ouch!!!
kimnxena@reddit
If you’re female, it could POSSIBLY be a symptom of perimenopause. I accidentally knocked my glass and spilled my drink all over the table and my husband last night. I just started my perimenopause journey and am blaming it on that. 😬
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Oh I am thru that AND meno. I will be honest...peri was the WORST!
lovegood123@reddit
I’m post as well and while I haven’t fallen (yet) I’ve had balance issues ever since meno
empty_wagon@reddit
I never fall. The wife on the other hand, she enjoys the scenery from down there. Been that way her whole life. A few times a year she does a real zinger. Usually rolling her ankles. She just got out of a walking boot and is in an ankle brace right now.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Oh gosh!! I have never seen my husband even stumble! He doesn't understand it! Take good care of her!
empty_wagon@reddit
Indeed. It was her right foot this time so she was immobile. Zero driving. Let’s just say I have a new appreciation for single parents.
Kwyjibo68@reddit
I’ve been a clumsy person all my life and I’ve had many bad falls. Broken both ankles and my right arm - all at different times. I felt a lot better and more steady on my feet after I started working with a trainer. I’d also told her that I have balance issues so we worked on that specifically. I also have to watch the ground when I’m walking because any little thing can cause me to trip, etc.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Just curious....what are some of the balance exercises? good job!
Kwyjibo68@reddit
It was all simple stuff - walking a line, balancing on one foot and eventually adding difficulty to that (leaning forward, etc). You can probably find a lot of it online.
Pale_Pineapple_365@reddit
Go to a trainer and ask for help assessing your mobility. Ask for exercises that help with stability. Learn what areas of your body need “release work”.
If that’s too expensive or time consuming, add Pilates to your routine.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
oh gawd. pilates is soooo hard
Pale_Pineapple_365@reddit
I stopped doing Pilates because my trainer didn’t know how to correct us, or even what to watch out for. It’s really easy to do Pilates all wrong.
If you are having little aches and pains, “release work” will be your new best friend.
kimbersill@reddit
Currently sitting here with a fractured leg. I did nothing but walk across my bedroom and the toe of my slipper caught on the carpet and I went down. I thought I rolled my ankle, turns out I spiral fractured my leg. Last year I broke my nose. I have never broken a bone in my life, until now. You fall so much harder.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Oh my gosh!!! You poor thing! I broke my nose in a mosh pit once but at least I was having fun!
UpstairsFan7447@reddit
55 here and I have also noticed an increase of instability crawling into my daily life. I am building balance exercises into my everyday routine, and I also want to be more active. Mobility and mental flexibility go hand in hand and to stay sane you have to stay active and healthy.
existdetective@reddit
Two years ago age 54, I was racing down the concrete stairs in my office building, something I’d done many times. Racing to move my car before I got a ticket, in fact.
Don’t even know what happened but I tumbled down the last 5 steps & fell flat, hit my head hard enough to be dizzy, need stitches, & for my hearing aides to go flying.
Of course, foreheads bleed a lot too. By the time the nearby restaurant had let me wash up & I walked out with a bloody towel held to my face, the guy was writing the ticket!!
He later voided it so now I know they CAN do that no matter what they say. 7 stitches.
Now I ALWAYS go slow & hold railings on stairs.
I also find that as I age & eh-hmm gain weight, my center of gravity is all wrong and my ass bumps into stuff unexpectedly. My internal body map no longer matches reality!
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Well that was a creative way to avoid a ticket! ha
One_Purple_3242@reddit
Ask your doctor for a PT referral to work on balance. Be sure to let them know that you have fallen 3x. Fall prevention is huge, you don’t want to break a hip!
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Oh gosh ty. Agreed!
Unfair_Bluejay_9687@reddit
I had the same thing happen to me in a hockey game. Clear cut breakaways and my right ankle turned to jello. It bugged be for 4 days. Played another game and it happened a few more times. Two days later and I wake up with a paralyzed right leg. Zero feeling. Zero movement. Zero pain. I had a brain bleed. I was one of the 5% who aren’t killed from one. That was 40 years ago. Do yourself a favour and get an MRI of your brain. While they can still fix it.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
holy shit! how scary. glad you are ok!
Unfair_Bluejay_9687@reddit
Every day I wake up on the right side of the grass is a great day.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
My nana had a saying: every day I can put my bloomers on is a good day!
CoderPro225@reddit
I have always been a klutz. Had a couple spectacular falls in high school even. But slipping in the shower in my 40s scared the crap out of me. I live alone. I had grab bars installed. Already had a good bath mat but that wasn’t enough. Strengthening my core helped my balance too. So did weight loss (I’ve always been heavy, my whole life, but recently lost 65 lbs).
We need to stop wearing trendy tall shoes as we age too. If you trip on your clothes, fix them or get rid of them. Platform shoes are out. (It sucks. I loved mine!) I also avoid flip flops nowadays. My mom can’t handle open toed shoes at all cuz she trips on them. She also needs decent slippers and not just socks in the house, so I know that’s coming in my future. I have a bad knee the ortho says I can’t get replaced yet and a bad back. I’m forced to rely on a cane for long walks. I’m only 50 people! But staying safe is the most important thing here.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Omg. All my recent falls were in sandals. Time to retire them! Congrats on your weight loss!
existdetective@reddit
Can relate to clumsiness and especially to it being hard to get up. My body aged dramatically after menopause.
Oldman_Dick@reddit
On my last doc visit I got the "have you fallen lately" question. Yep. I was changing shorts after taking a gummy and missed the leg. Didn't hurt myself or even bump my head - just giggled for a while.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
hysterical!
Oldman_Dick@reddit
I thought so! My wife, not so much.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Spouses stop enjoying each other. Oh wait thats just me and mine. haaa
FlippingPossum@reddit
The last time I went down was trying to make a pickleball shot. At least I feel gracefully onto my knees. Did not make shot. 😂
I am usually good about not falling. I keep banging my left leg on things. So many bruises.
Aircooled2088@reddit
I fell on an uneven sidewalk curb walking the dog, I laid there for five minutes and nobody came over, to help a elderly man like me, so I got up myself….😀
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
ha! people were stepping over me to get their beauty products!
Reachforthesky777@reddit
This is an aging and health thing. You need to tell your doctor. Make a note of the time, dates, and relevant details - where it happened, how you were feeling, if you hit your head while falling, etc. All of us over 45 should be keeping track of falls. It's minimal effort and only takes a moment.
In my case, falls were a factor aiding in the diagnosis of my back issues before imaging proved it. A friend of mine who started falling learned their falls were from type 2 diabetes which they had developed despite being physically fit. Another friends falls were a catalyst leading to diagnosis of blood pressure issues.
Shell-Fire@reddit
Turns out one of my meds was making me fall. FYI.
NoRestForTheWitty@reddit
Robaxin + low blood pressure. Ugh
supershinythings@reddit
Are you on any blood pressure medication? That can cause dizziness.
Inner ear balance problems can also happen - especially if you allow yourself to get dehydrated.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
I am! I am also a type 2 diabetic though I finally have that well controlled! ty!
supershinythings@reddit
Talk to your doc about the BP medicine. It may be related to your balance issues.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
I don't! I am a bad patient!
supershinythings@reddit
Well consider that as a possible source of your balance or clumsiness.
tao_of_bacon@reddit
Are kids laughing at ya or offering to help you up?
I went from ‘fell’ to ‘having a fall’ about two years ago.
/hat tip bill burr
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
The kids laugh which i think I prefer to pity!
Three-Owls777@reddit
John Spencer Blues Explosion! 💥 🤘🏼🎸
Resident_Lion_@reddit
first things first. the fuck you wearing bell bottoms for in 2025 unless you're a pimp? did the sombrero blind you?
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
ha!!! i was thinking i looked cute. never again!
AdhesiveSeaMonkey@reddit
I have always had weak ankles. I can sprain them on flat ground. I once sprained them both at the same time. It's a skill.
I do notice my balance is not what it used to be. It takes just a couple of milliseconds longer to recover from a misstep or rough terrain. I don't work out - neve have - but am willing to look at balance/reflex training.
What's really bugging me is the number of times I hit my knuckles on something, pinch my finger in a drawer, etc. It's always my hands, and always annoying.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Oh that's frustrating!!
LayerNo3634@reddit
I had severe balance issues after a lengthy illness. Took a senior balance class. Felt stupid, because I was, by a decade+, the youngest person there. It helped a lot and I "graduated" to a beginner yoga class that helped. I still stumble, but I've gotten where I "wobble, but I don't fall down," usually. That said, a few weeks ago, I lost my balance putting my underwear on, fell on the toilet, and landed between the wall and the toilet. 🤣
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
ha!!! i just joined the yband was looking at the senior conditioning class and was a little embarrassed. but wth?! ty!
Govinda74@reddit
Gravity. It's our oldest and most persistent enemy. It's subtle, but never EVER stops. Until we can no longer rise against it. It's been around a long time and has never lost. Not even once....
rangeo@reddit
Go to your Doctor Please
Hearing check too
Suit-Local@reddit
I second this. I had a coworker that was having issues and was misdiagnosed with vertigo. A friend who was a nurse was out with him one night and made him get to a neurologist. Turned out to be MS. Not trying to scare you, but just get checked out
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Ty! I will.
FracturedNomad@reddit
Falls I think I'm good but I'm more prone to concussions. I've taken a few good blows to the head or my head gave a few good blows to objects. Either way, ya.
Life_Transformed@reddit
I sprained my ankle so many times I have loose ligaments.
I was morbidly obese most of my life. I got down to a normal weight during the pandemic, and something I’ve noticed is that I don’t fall when I lose my balance anymore. I still expect to fall though.
Recent-Vermicelli382@reddit
I also lost a bunch of weight during covid but I am still as clumsy as I was before. You are lucky.
I will say though, it is easier to get up without that 100lbs.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Oh my gosh. I have a constant left ankle sprain! Congrats on your weight loss!!!
Life_Transformed@reddit
Thanks! Once thing I learned when I had broken my foot twice was some ways to get off the floor when I wasn’t allowed to out any weight on my broken foot. I get up by pushing off the floor with both hands and on foot while on my knee, start on your knees. I could do that even when I was over 300 pounds (female). I don’t try to grab anything to pull myself up, that is harder.
robertwadehall@reddit
I slipped and fell going up stairs in 2023, part of why I sold my split level and buy a one story ranch. Also our senior dogs couldn’t climb the stairs (I had to carry them up and down the stairs).
RealtorRVACity@reddit
Start taking potassium supplements, it really helps. We need a LOT more than we get typically. It affects balance if you don't have enough.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Oh awesome. I had no idea!
speedincuzihave2poop@reddit
Bell Bottoms? ha ha... those wouldn't happen to be JNCO jeans would they? Yep it's been harder for me to get up from the floor, get out of bed, and just generally amble around. I woke up night before last with a huge scratch across my chest and arm and still have no idea how, when or where it came from. It just appeared in my sleep. I don't think we heal anywhere near as fast after 50.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
for sure!!
No-Access-2790@reddit
Definitely something you might want to work on. Strength and stability. The same dumb fall at 40-50something can kill a person at 60-70something. Better to build up your armor while you can :)
LilJourney@reddit
I've taken a few hard falls in the last year or two which was a real wake-up call for me. Falls can really mess you up (thankfully mine didn't do anything more serious than a severely bruised elbow but the potential is there).
My advice - take it as a sign something is wrong and take action.
Get your eyes checked if you haven't recently.
Practice balance and co-ordination exercises.
And for the sake of your future self - practice getting up from and down to the floor regularly. I actually have quit sitting on the couch for this reason and use a yoga cushion instead just to force myself to practice getting up / down.
Basic human body rule - Use it or lose it!
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Good advice! I DO ha e a cataract I have been ignoring...oof!
Qedtanya13@reddit
I’m a teacher at a HS. We had summer testing a few weeks ago. I was going into the elevator and tripped on the metal sill and smashed my arm into the doors. The next day, I broke my pinky toe tripping over a cat toy.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
I am sorry to laugh but the visual!
Qedtanya13@reddit
I know 🤣🤣
manuredujour@reddit
Same! I have a weak ankle that keeps giving out. I haven’t broken anything but it’s pretty undignified and I’ve scraped myself up good.
What I hate is how gingerly I walk now. I’m so afraid of falling again that I’ve lost confidence in my gait. I think we just need to start strength training and work on our core
Think-Lack2763@reddit
I have been to the doctor for so many falls in the past two years. I trip on my wide leg pants. I trip over curbs. I'm sorry this is happening to you! It is awful. I've been sober each time as well.
Adorableviolet@reddit (OP)
Ty! I am sorry too! I laugh at myself, but It really is distressing!