Mobility

[Ken Anderson]

Mobility issues can be considered a health or medical problem, and for some of us, they may be more of a medical issue than an age-related challenge. It's a bit of both, I suppose. I think many of us consider that a certain level of mobility decline is simply a part of aging.

I can walk pretty well, and often walk 10-15 miles at a time, and routinely walk that many miles during the course of a day. However, I have fallen a few times without any discernible reason. In the old forum, I know that I've posted about the first time that happened. My wife had dropped me off about ten miles from home, and I was going to walk along a defined hiking trail and then walk home. Rather than walking home along the road, I decided that it would be far more interesting to walk home through the woods, using a combination of trails and logging roads that led generally in that direction. I knew that I'd be able to find my way home. I did have my hiking pole with me.

Along the way, I came across a logging road that was heading toward Route 11, and I had calculated (guessed) that I had walked far enough that this would put me out near Millinocket. I was walking along that road, which was among the smoothest trails I had been on that day, after having walked through trails with roots, rocks, and wet areas. Without warning, I fell to the ground, cutting the side of my face and hurting my right hand. I thought I had broken it because it immediately began to swell badly.

I had a signal, but I wouldn't have been able to tell anyone where to find me because I was guessing where I was, so I just kept walking. Sure enough, I came out on Route 11 about a quarter mile from the hospital in Millinocket, so I checked myself in and found that nothing was broken.

However, I didn't trip, feel dizzy, pass out, or have any idea why I had fallen.

I started paying more attention to my walking and noticed that when I stepped with my left foot, it rotated outward rather than straight, unlike my right foot. I mentioned that to my doctor, but she wasn't impressed and seemed to think I was being a hypochondriac, so I didn't bring it up again. I have noted that when I force myself to step more straightforwardly with my left foot, it feels unnatural and is something I cannot maintain without constant vigilance. Even on the elliptical machine, my left foot rotates outwardly. Maybe I have always walked that way, as I had never had a reason to pay attention to that before.

Since then, I have similarly fallen two more times, but without significant damage.

Then, there is the problem of winter. The central part of my house has a steep incline, but we have a metal roof there, so no one has a reason to climb up. However, the back part of the house (which used to be an exterior porch, since roofed over and enclosed) has shingles. Shortly after moving in here, we found that this part of the house was badly in need of a roof, so we had new shingles put on. When we had a metal roof installed years later, we didn't have that part of the house done because we had re-roofed it not long before. I wish we had because all the snow that comes off the back part of the main roof ends up on that shingled roof, where it remains. This will lead to ice damming and leaks if left there.

That part of the house has only a slight incline. I used to get up there after every major snowstorm and shovel the roof, and that wasn't much of a problem. However, for the past three winters, I have been afraid to walk out onto the roof. I keep telling myself that it's not reasonable to assume that I am going to fall, since I have been onto that roof many times before without incident. Nevertheless, as soon as I start to step off the ladder onto the roof, I panic.

I have never had a fear of heights, and the back part of our house isn't even that high, although it would hurt to fall, particularly if I landed on something other than snow. Still, I can't bring myself to step out onto the roof.

I hate hiring someone to do it because they charge us a bunch of money for something that I know, having done it many times, should take no more than about fifteen minutes if it's not really heavy or packed snow. Plus, they always dump it down onto the driveway, the back entryway, and paths, so I have to go behind them with a shovel. Nor can I talk my wife into getting up on the roof.

I have a roof rake, but unless the snow is unusually light and fluffy, I can't get enough purchase from the ground to pull enough snow down. I can get some of it from the ladder, but the ladder is too heavy for me to move around, given my hernias. I'm considering getting a second ladder, leaving both ladders in place permanently. That probably still wouldn't allow me to move all of the snow from the roof, but it would allow me to get to most of it.

 

[Beth Gallagher]

How strange about your falls, Ken. It still annoys me when the doctor's assistant asks me if I have fallen in the past 30 days but I guess it's pretty common at our age. So far I have remained upright.

I have discouraged my husband from any ladder-related tasks. Now he stands on the ground and annoys whoever we paid to do the climbing job.

Would a leaf blower work to remove snow from that section of roof? They make those extension things so they can reach to clean out gutters.

 

[Ken Anderson]

How strange about your falls, Ken. It still annoys me when the doctor's assistant asks me if I have fallen in the past 30 days but I guess it's pretty common at our age. So far I have remained upright.

I have discouraged my husband from any ladder-related tasks. Now he stands on the ground and annoys whoever we paid to do the climbing job.

Would a leaf blower work to remove snow from that section of roof? They make those extension things so they can reach to clean out gutters.

1. I hate those questions too. They always assume that a fall is due to senior infirmities. I walk through the woods sometimes, over roots, logs, rocks, and uneven ground. Falls happen. Of course, the ones I was talking about in the OP are something else.

2. I'm okay on ladders and was able to clear about a third of the roof from the ladder. Getting off the ladder onto a slanted roof is where I have turned into a wuss recently.

3. I don't think so. That would work only for newly fallen, light snow, and I can get that with a roof rake. Generally, where I have a problem is after it has been snowing all night, and the snow is wet , heavy, or packed.

 

[Beth Gallagher]

Well, be careful on the ladder or try to find some teenager who wants to make a couple of bucks.

 

[Marie Mallory]

Mobility issues can be considered a health or medical problem, and for some of us, they may be more of a medical issue than an age-related challenge. It's a bit of both, I suppose. I think many of us consider that a certain level of mobility decline is simply a part of aging.

I can walk pretty well, and often walk 10-15 miles at a time, and routinely walk that many miles during the course of a day. However, I have fallen a few times without any discernible reason. In the old forum, I know that I've posted about the first time that happened. My wife had dropped me off about ten miles from home, and I was going to walk along a defined hiking trail and then walk home. Rather than walking home along the road, I decided that it would be far more interesting to walk home through the woods, using a combination of trails and logging roads that led generally in that direction. I knew that I'd be able to find my way home. I did have my hiking pole with me.

Along the way, I came across a logging road that was heading toward Route 11, and I had calculated (guessed) that I had walked far enough that this would put me out near Millinocket. I was walking along that road, which was among the smoothest trails I had been on that day, after having walked through trails with roots, rocks, and wet areas. Without warning, I fell to the ground, cutting the side of my face and hurting my right hand. I thought I had broken it because it immediately began to swell badly.

I had a signal, but I wouldn't have been able to tell anyone where to find me because I was guessing where I was, so I just kept walking. Sure enough, I came out on Route 11 about a quarter mile from the hospital in Millinocket, so I checked myself in and found that nothing was broken.

However, I didn't trip, feel dizzy, pass out, or have any idea why I had fallen.

I started paying more attention to my walking and noticed that when I stepped with my left foot, it rotated outward rather than straight, unlike my right foot. I mentioned that to my doctor, but she wasn't impressed and seemed to think I was being a hypochondriac, so I didn't bring it up again. I have noted that when I force myself to step more straightforwardly with my left foot, it feels unnatural and is something I cannot maintain without constant vigilance. Even on the elliptical machine, my left foot rotates outwardly. Maybe I have always walked that way, as I had never had a reason to pay attention to that before.

Since then, I have similarly fallen two more times, but without significant damage.

Then, there is the problem of winter. The central part of my house has a steep incline, but we have a metal roof there, so no one has a reason to climb up. However, the back part of the house (which used to be an exterior porch, since roofed over and enclosed) has shingles. Shortly after moving in here, we found that this part of the house was badly in need of a roof, so we had new shingles put on. When we had a metal roof installed years later, we didn't have that part of the house done because we had re-roofed it not long before. I wish we had because all the snow that comes off the back part of the main roof ends up on that shingled roof, where it remains. This will lead to ice damming and leaks if left there.

That part of the house has only a slight incline. I used to get up there after every major snowstorm and shovel the roof, and that wasn't much of a problem. However, for the past three winters, I have been afraid to walk out onto the roof. I keep telling myself that it's not reasonable to assume that I am going to fall, since I have been onto that roof many times before without incident. Nevertheless, as soon as I start to step off the ladder onto the roof, I panic.

I have never had a fear of heights, and the back part of our house isn't even that high, although it would hurt to fall, particularly if I landed on something other than snow. Still, I can't bring myself to step out onto the roof.

I hate hiring someone to do it because they charge us a bunch of money for something that I know, having done it many times, should take no more than about fifteen minutes if it's not really heavy or packed snow. Plus, they always dump it down onto the driveway, the back entryway, and paths, so I have to go behind them with a shovel. Nor can I talk my wife into getting up on the roof.

I have a roof rake, but unless the snow is unusually light and fluffy, I can't get enough purchase from the ground to pull enough snow down. I can get some of it from the ladder, but the ladder is too heavy for me to move around, given my hernias. I'm considering getting a second ladder, leaving both ladders in place permanently. That probably still wouldn't allow me to move all of the snow from the roof, but it would allow me to get to most of it.

I keep telling Jake he needs to be more careful doing everything himself here, he takes too many chances, they don't call it an ' accident' for nothing, not as if someone plans to go hurt themselves.

 

[Shirley Martin]

Ken, I know a man who fell, and his doctor said he had something called drop toe. He referred him to some kind of therapy where they taught him how to walk. He said he had been walking all his life. But they showed him how to put his heel down first then move forward to his toes. It worked.

 

[Don Alaska]

I was once a big walker, and have hiked many miles over the years, as well as backpacking. I have also had several ladder falls, mostly from carelessness rather than instability. My big fall in 2014 changed my life forever and nearly ended it due to medical mishandling. I walk around our property in good weather, but use a stick if I go for distances longer than a few hundred yards as the terrain is uneven. I try to use grocery carts as stabilizers when walking in stores, but don't really need them. I need a reminder to stand and walk straight now, as my back muscles are still weak (and were cut during surgery) and will cramp if I am not careful. I aged a decade after that fall.

 

[Ken Anderson]

I don't usually use a walking stick when I'm walking on sidewalks or along roadways, but I do when I am walking off-road, not only for mobility issues but also to check for wet spots and the like.

 

[Marie Mallory]

I was once a big walker, and have hiked many miles over the years, as well as backpacking. I have also had several ladder falls, mostly from carelessness rather than instability. My big fall in 2014 changed my life forever and nearly ended it due to medical mishandling. I walk around our property in good weather, but use a stick if I go for distances longer than a few hundred yards as the terrain is uneven. I try to use grocery carts as stabilizers when walking in stores, but don't really need them. I need a reminder to stand and walk straight now, as my back muscles are still weak (and were cut during surgery) and will cramp if I am not careful. I aged a decade after that fall.

Don I use shopping carts to steady my walk, since I don't have my walking stick, it may be I need them or I just got used to something to hold onto, I think it is both.

 

[Mary Robi]

After having fallen three times in two weeks last year, I always have my hiking pole with me on walks now. It's like having three legs. I haven't fallen since.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

The heat has arrived and it is time for Swimming Pool Summer again. I love being in the pool in the summer and the heat has always been hard for me, all my life.
I remember being out horseback riding as a teenager, arrived home around noon, went to let my mom know I was back home, and passed out and fell down , right at her feet.
No more daytime riding for me in the summer !
After that, my friends that I rode with would come over sometimes and we would’ camp out in the yard, get up before dawn, eat something easy , and go riding and be back home before the main heat arrived by 10 AM.

Here in Alabama where we also have the high humidity, the heat makes it harder for me to breathe, so my summer consists of being outside early, doing what is necessary, and being inside near the front room AC unit. So, going outside and being in the swimming pool is what I most look forward to doing.

The pool we have right now is about 4” deep, so I can’t get into it without using the ladder, but because of my bad balance, I can’t just climb up the ladder and down into the pool like Bobby easily does.
I have a stepstool and I get on that, and then I am high enough to step inside the pool and put my foot on the inside part of the ladder and climb into the pool that way.
Bobby always is there to help me and make sure i do not lose my balance, and he takes good care of me.

When we have to replace this pool, I think I might need one of the shorter ones that I can step over the top and get in without a ladder. Since the pool is not large enough to actually swim, we just go in and float anyway, so a shorter one would work fine for that, too. But for now, I can still get in and out of this one, and it is a nice pool.

 

[Von Jones]

Ken, I know a man who fell, and his doctor said he had something called drop toe. He referred him to some kind of therapy where they taught him how to walk. He said he had been walking all his life. But they showed him how to put his heel down first then move forward to his toes. It worked.

He said he had been walking all his life. I love it!!!!

 

[Hedi Mitchell]

it is difficult to walk when the back gives out before the rest of you does. My can is my friend for many reasons and feel safer with it. As stated before it is an excellent weapon also

 

[John Wick]

Perhaps a few basic tests based on simple exercises might shed some light on the falling issue? If there is any abnormal weakness or imbalance issues that present themselves this would go a long way towards a correct diagnosis.

Simple things like a few body weight full squats, standing on one leg, skipping or hopping, touching your toes, stretching one leg up on a counter, a brief in place jog raising your knees higher than normal, ect. Anything that would test your range of movement or basic strength and balance without putting too much stress on your muscles and joints.

Kind of a basic assessment on your mobility condition, the results would be useful and quite interesting.

 

[Ken Anderson]

So far this summer, I have rarely walked more than 5 miles at a time, whereas last year I was walking 5-15 miles most days, and I'd like to get back to that. Once I start walking, it's not like I get tired. Mostly, it's a matter of not wanting to be too far from a bathroom because at 75 I can't always just hold it for a couple of hours as I once could.

Another problem, perhaps more on-topic in this thread, is that I'm not as steady on my feet as I used to be. Is anyone? While I can still walk along uneven terrain, traverse rocks, logs, and holes in the ground, I have to pay far more attention. Not only am I less likely to be able to recover if I step wrong, but a fall could be more serious today than when I was younger. I have to pay more attention to where my heel lands on each step to be sure I'm on steady ground. It's not like I have to think about each step for five minutes before taking the next, but I have to train myself to make that assessment each time, in the hope that it might become automatic again. If nothing else, not falling is nice too.

Another thing I hate is that my knees hurt. They don't hurt while I'm walking, except uphill - that hurts sometimes. But if I have to get down on the floor or the ground for any reason, getting back up really hurts.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

What has really helped me a lot with my mobility and balance issues (I still have them, but they are getting better, bit by bit, I think), is using the Vibration plate almost every day.
We started out 2-3 years ago with the Merach vibration plate, which is just a small square one that you stand on, turn the power on, and it vibrates for 10 minutes.

Last fall, Bobby used his Devoted Wellness Bucks towards a really nice Zelus vibration plate, which has a stand and a place to hang on, and about a zillion different settings you can choose from.
Which I do not do, but Bobby does.

I just turn it on and hit the first vibration and it goes for 15 minutes and then stops. I listen to music and dance around (more or less) and sing for the 3-4 songs on Pandora while I am vibrating .
The vibration plate helps drain lymph , because it is not moved by the heart like blood is, it also exercises all of your muscles, even if you are just standing still on the plate for that time. It uses so many muscles that it helps me be able to walk better and not lose my balance.

 

[Ken Anderson]

The ZELUS device is a bit out of my league, at least right now. I see there are devices that sound similar on Amazon at various prices, but I don't want to spend half that amount if the result doesn't work.

 

[Ken Anderson]

Perhaps a few basic tests based on simple exercises might shed some light on the falling issue? If there is any abnormal weakness or imbalance issues that present themselves this would go a long way towards a correct diagnosis.

Paying attention, I am aware that when I walk normally, my left foot is rotated outward quite a bit compared to the right, which is mostly forward. The same thing occurs after a few minutes on the elliptical glider. When I consciously try to keep it straight ahead, it feels like I'm twisting it. My doctor doesn't consider that to be relevant, though. I have also noted that I can easily tie the laces on my left foot by bending over, but I have to either kneel on the floor or place my right foot on a stool to tie the laces on my right foot.

 

[Tony Nathanson]

So far this summer, I have rarely walked more than 5 miles at a time, whereas last year I was walking 5-15 miles most days, and I'd like to get back to that. Once I start walking, it's not like I get tired. Mostly, it's a matter of not wanting to be too far from a bathroom because at 75 I can't always just hold it for a couple of hours as I once could.

Another problem, perhaps more on-topic in this thread, is that I'm not as steady on my feet as I used to be. Is anyone? While I can still walk along uneven terrain, traverse rocks, logs, and holes in the ground, I have to pay far more attention. Not only am I less likely to be able to recover if I step wrong, but a fall could be more serious today than when I was younger. I have to pay more attention to where my heel lands on each step to be sure I'm on steady ground. It's not like I have to think about each step for five minutes before taking the next, but I have to train myself to make that assessment each time, in the hope that it might become automatic again. If nothing else, not falling is nice too.

Another thing I hate is that my knees hurt. They don't hurt while I'm walking, except uphill - that hurts sometimes. But if I have to get down on the floor or the ground for any reason, getting back up really hurts.

At 73, neither am I as steady on my feet as I used to be. I used to run up & down two stairs at a time without holding the rails. A fall last year let me know things are different now. One stair at a time with my hand on the rail. And no running.
Last week on my walk, I bent down to pet someone's small dog & when I straightened back up, I almost fell forward. I have to remember I've never had a good sense of balance & it doesn't improve with age like wine & cheese.

 

[Yvonne Smith]

The ZELUS device is a bit out of my league, at least right now. I see there are devices that sound similar on Amazon at various prices, but I don't want to spend half that amount if the result doesn't work.

We had really good results with the Merach vibration plate, and those types are much cheaper than th ones like the Zelus. We get $150 to spend each year on fitness items from Devoted Health, so that helped a lot to get the Zelus, and it completely paid for the Merach when I got that a few years ago.
Just the standing and vibration seems to help clear lymph, and since all the muscles have to work to keep balance when we are vibrating, they all get a workout.
If you do movement or exercise on the plate , you can do even more, but I just held on to something to make sure i didn’t fall off and did whatever small movements I could do.
There are good information videos on YT about which exercises benefit what.