Our yard is a complete mud slick. Yesterday morning I took the German shepherd puppy out and foolishly decided to throw the ball a few times. My feet went out from under me and I came down hard on my tailbone and elbows. I was laughing so hard I wished someone had seen it, it must have been ridiculous. I came in so thickly covered in mud it had gone through my coat,nightgown, long underwear, and panties to the skin, I had to shower it off.

I have feared such a fall for years with my poor balance, clumsiness, and high center of gravity. I am a big girl and this was a hard fall, but the ground was soft. There was not pain at the time, but as the day worse on I felt it more and more, with soreness from extending the muscles to catch myself and back pain from the impact. I am also having sciatica which I am all too familiar with. Most sensations are muffled from my pain medications, but I really feel it when they get close to wearing off. I was very stiff and painful when I woke up.

I am trying to rest as much as possible, using ice, but I am not sure I should go to the doctor since they seem to always feel that all my conditions are degenerative and there is no point in further tests. I guess time will tell.
Any suggestions on what I should do? My arms and legs as well as my back are involved in the pain flare. Thanks!

I am so sorry about your fall!!

When I need really good healing from muscle pain, I use my infrared heating pad. It is so great. I have that and an infrared dome that is wonderful also.

Sorry to hear of your fall. It's good that nothing is broken anyway even though there is plenty of pain. We have ice now and I am really, really careful as far as that goes. If I fell, and it can happen anywhere even without ice, and even if I really wasn't hurt, I could never get up anymore by myself. Get well soon.

Oh, that is terrible. But I totally understand.

Don't forget your magnesium lotion! It can really help, with the reactive strains from the fall.

I hope your tailbone is okay... ????

I am so sorry. I hope it is just soreness.

I am hopeful that it will wear off in a few days. It is funny, this was one of the consequences of heavy pain meds we were talking about with the doctor- not having a clear sense of how serious an injury is, especially combined with the loss of sensation.

It does remind me of the danger of falls, and how careful we all have to be. It is so easy to underestimate what can happen.

Thank you for your input!
Susanne

Hi Susanne, Sorry to hear about your fall. A hard knock to the tailbone can take sometime to recover from. I know this from experience. I slipped and fell on my back in mud many years ago and was a sight for sore eyes. Witnessed by a passer-by, who had to help me get back up again. I remember laughing at first, also. Hoping that you see some relief soon! However, if the stiffness and pain persists it probably would not hurt to have yourself checked out. Wishing you a speedy recovery. CeCe.

Oh I am so sorry!!! If you can tolerate heat, an epsom soak bath would probably help. I still take them, just hang my feet on the edge with a battery fan. A hot epsom soak takes away all my aches and pains and I always have a good night sleep when I take one.

Hope you feel better quick!

do i understand that. i have walked on broken ankles and toes for days, not realizing i had broken them until i saw the purple bruising. i hope you feel better soon.

When I was around 12, I took Judo for about a year. The first thing they teach you is how to fall, absorbing the energy and distributing it along your forearms (and if/when possible, legs and or side). They made us practice that until it became instinctive, because in a sport like that, one is subject to falling very hard, very fast.

Last year I slipped on some ice outside a quilt shop, and if I'd been watching someone else, I couldn't have stopped myself from laughing because it was the sterotypical slip on a banana peel kind of pratfall with my feet flying up higher than the rest of me before crashing to the ground.

Fortunately, that decades old instinct/training kicked in, and I broke my fall with my forearms and side.

Moral: Martial arts aside, IMO it's not a bad idea for everyone to learn how to fall/break their fall. I often wonder how many broken bones or trips to the ER could be saved by people learning that simple skill.

GENTLE stretching exercises to improve bloodflow to the traumatized areas.

Doc