fallen

Childhood meant falling over a lot. I remember constantly having scabs on my knees (and the enjoyment of picking them). I still have scars from inside each of my elbows, from falling over at school while running during playtime.

You don't fall over very often as an adult (unless you're a footballer or some other kind of athlete - which I'm not!) I've fallen off my bike a few times, mostly for embarrassingly simple errors of balance but once when I was hit by a van.

In the past decade, I've fallen a few times while walking or running.

Two of those times involved tripping over a dog. Once I tripped over a jagged bit of the footpath, completely unexpectedly while walking Olle to school. I felt ridiculous.

The thing about falling as an adult is that you're further away from the ground so there's further to fall. And you're much much heavier, so there's more of you to hit the ground.

All of that occurs to you with a sickening feeling as you are actually falling.

I fell over this afternoon, while walking with a group of friends on a cement footpath.

It was a boiling hot day. I was walking at the front of the group. Olle was to my rear. What happened couldn't have been scripted better for a slapstick comedy. He had a football (soccer ball), which he must have been kicking along the ground (I had no idea he was doing that - I was in front of him). Somehow the ball got out of his control and rolled over to me, coming from behind directly under my right foot just as I was taking a fast purposeful step. I had no warning and no time to save myself. I put my foot down directly onto the ball, which of course moved under me and I lost my balance completely. I somehow did a complete turn in the air, fell to my right and landed on the palm of my right hand, then bounced onto first my right then my left buttock and was lying flat on my back on the pavement.

My palm, which hurt the most at first, has a deep but small graze which has already formed an oozy scab. I feel as if I have a mild version of whiplash and a crick in my neck, which must have twisted as I went down. But by far the worst injury is invisible - I have very sore buttocks. Well, it must be muscle damage, bruising of some kind, I don't know that part of the anatomy very well. Thank goodness it's not my coccyx. No, it's not related to my spine, but instead is related to the tops of my legs, the thigh muscles or gluteal muscles, in some way. Climbing stairs and bending over is very painful. I'm a wreck, moving around very slowly.

Poor Olle was very upset, which wasn't helped by the fact that the moment I fell I shouted his name reproachfully (how many times - including about an hour beforehand - have I told him not to kick or throw a ball when he's out in the street? Always with his safety in mind, not my own, ironically.) When I finally opened my eyes, he was kneeling beside me shaking with tears. He's been downcast all evening (we went out to dinner with some other friends.) I explained that I shouldn't have blamed him, that I'm okay and will get better and it was truly an accident. He's told me he is upset from seeing me fall (it must have given him a shock) and because he thinks it was his fault.

When I was 14, my mother fell over while I was out shopping with her. As was discovered not long afterwards, she had a spinal tumour. But we didn't know that at the time. She fell over and was helped up by me and passers-by. She was very emotionally shaken and I was too - it's an awful thing for a child - even one of 14 - to see an adult, especially their parent, fall over.

Even though my bottom is hurting (even as I sit here and type this), I'm very glad I didn't fall onto either knee or my hips, all of which have been giving me slight trouble lately, so I wouldn't have been happy to have that compounded by injury.

Comments

[Sandra]

I fell while out walking several months ago and I also blogged about it. I was also struck by the great difference between children falling vs. adults falling. It feels so traumatic as an adult. First the embarrassment and physical humiliation, then the injuries which hurt so much and take so much longer to heal for adults than for children. Poor Olle, I bet he feels awful about it.

[Lori]

My sympathies on your fall. Yes, I really understand about the difference in falling and even the appearance it might have of really good slapstick. I have a habit of tripping over my own feet quite regularly although I don't always fall. I am always conscious of how comical I must look when this happens.

I do remember an incident similar to yours. It must have been a year or two ago and happened as I was taking the boys to school. I had just parked and gone to the passenger side of the car...somehow I slipped on the curb next to the car and quite ungracefully plummeted to the ground. D was very upset by it and was worried for me. N, of course, wasn't too concerned unless it affected him directly, lol...that's just him though. I got away with various sore parts of my body, including my ankle and most definitely my bottom.

[webfrau]

OUCH! I know that bruised buttock sensation only too well! You will feel better soon, I promise.

[susoz]

I've never had the bruised buttock sensation before. All my other falls have been forwards onto hands and knees and sometimes shoulders and I haven't felt as knocked around. this time I seem to have taken my entire weight onto the tops of my buttocks and they are still, today, incredibly sore so that just walking is painful. Still, I'll get over it. I'm glad I didn't break anything or put a hole in the dress I was wearing.

[Valerie]

Falling by stepping on a ball seems to me like a good way to break an ankle. I'm glad you didn't, and I hope the bruised parts get better soon!

[susoz]

Valerie, I'm really glad I didn't break an ankle too - I seem to be surrounded by women who've broken one or more ankles and it makes me wonder why that is. Do men break their ankles too or is it a peculiarly feminine accident?

[Bernice]

But we forget HOW to fall as adults - its not just that we're bigger & have further to fall, but we forget. I witnessed a woman step backward off a step, and fall - she was probably 35? but she fell as I have seen elderly women fall. With no idea how to land,how to roll. And tense with fear as she landed. It must have hurt. But it didnt need to. Out there I say, and practice falling - do things that let you fall. relearn the ancient of scab picking.Balance it, after all, just practice.

[Susan]

Oh, ouch!!!! I hope you and Olle are both feeling better soon.

[susoz]

Bernice, I think you're right, though I seem to have fallen in quite a self-protective way - rolling in a circle to land on the fattest part of my body and my head didn't hit the ground at all, which is why I had a sore neck, I guess, from spontaneously holding it up. I'm glad I didn't have this accident a few weeks ago when I had my vertigo/balance problem as my self-protective senses might not have kicked in..