In praise of bike helmets
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I fell off my bike on Thursday. Not a crash in traffic, I was just dismounting.
I misjudged the height of my right leg/foot clearing the saddle, so I went down.
I think it’s a matter of losing flexibility with age. It IS a tall saddle height that’s worked for the last 25 years, but maybe I need to do other exercise to stay flexible.
Anyway, although I don’t think my head hit the ground, and my (brand-new) helmet looked unscathed, I could feel that something moved inside my skull. No disorientation, and I put the bike in the car and drove home normally.
I went to the urgent care a few hours later, and they tested my reflexes, and said don’t worry unless I get dizzy or confused or nauseous, or experience vision changes, but if I do, go to a hospital.
So my head felt achy for a couple of days, but it’s getting better. I seem to have all my faculties and I’m practicing effectively.
I do feel the effects on other body parts. My neck, shoulder, hip, elbow, knee are sore. I feel like I’ve been in a bar fight.
But thank goodness for bike helmets. Maybe it could have been worse.
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I fell off my bike on Thursday. Not a crash in traffic, I was just dismounting.
I misjudged the height of my right leg/foot clearing the saddle, so I went down.
I think it’s a matter of losing flexibility with age. It IS a tall saddle height that’s worked for the last 25 years, but maybe I need to do other exercise to stay flexible.
Anyway, although I don’t think my head hit the ground, and my (brand-new) helmet looked unscathed, I could feel that something moved inside my skull. No disorientation, and I put the bike in the car and drove home normally.
I went to the urgent care a few hours later, and they tested my reflexes, and said don’t worry unless I get dizzy or confused or nauseous, or experience vision changes, but if I do, go to a hospital.
So my head felt achy for a couple of days, but it’s getting better. I seem to have all my faculties and I’m practicing effectively.
I do feel the effects on other body parts. My neck, shoulder, hip, elbow, knee are sore. I feel like I’ve been in a bar fight.
But thank goodness for bike helmets. Maybe it could have been worse.
@RealPlayer oh dear that sounds very scary! I’m glad it wasn’t worse! But be vigilant with yourself for awhile.
About 10-12 years ago, I was walking (half running actually) and I slipped on the ice and fell, very hard. I had on a backpack which I think was why my head didn’t hit the concrete. But my brain got knocked around in my skull and the next day I was dizzy and nauseous, so I went to urgent care and they diagnosed me with a concussion. I didn’t exactly get better and a week or a a few weeks later I was diagnosed with post-concussive syndrome, which is a type of MTBI “mild traumatic brain injury.” Ultimately it took several months to recover. I “listed” when walking for probably over a year after that.
All that to say, just because you didn’t hit your head doesn’t mean you didn’t hurt your brain. So be alert for any new symptoms, dizziness, headache that doesn’t go away etc.
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Yikes! Glad you came out (mostly) OK!
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@realplayer Glad to hear you weren't badly injured.
I read somewhere that as we age our brains shrink a bit and that there can be more movement inside the skull if the head moves or stops quickly. Good excuse to stay off of roller coasters!
Even when we're in fairly good physical shape as we get older our flexibility, strength, and reaction times all get a bit worse. I figured that out when I did a near-face plant on our front porch. Twice, about eight years apart. Just didn't quite pick my foot up enough when stepping onto the porch.
Besides doing some strength and flexibility exercises, I am much more mindful of how I move about. I try to be sure I'm aware of what might be on the floor so I don't trip over it, and I concentrate when going up/down stairs. Looking down through progressive lenses is a bit tricky when descending stairs; focus isn't ideal. And I always have one hand on a handrail if at all possible.
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There are a number of YouTube videos showing different ways of mounting and dismounting…from simple to virtuosic. I’m going to try leaning the bike lower to the left before swinging over.
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@RealPlayer oh dear that sounds very scary! I’m glad it wasn’t worse! But be vigilant with yourself for awhile.
About 10-12 years ago, I was walking (half running actually) and I slipped on the ice and fell, very hard. I had on a backpack which I think was why my head didn’t hit the concrete. But my brain got knocked around in my skull and the next day I was dizzy and nauseous, so I went to urgent care and they diagnosed me with a concussion. I didn’t exactly get better and a week or a a few weeks later I was diagnosed with post-concussive syndrome, which is a type of MTBI “mild traumatic brain injury.” Ultimately it took several months to recover. I “listed” when walking for probably over a year after that.
All that to say, just because you didn’t hit your head doesn’t mean you didn’t hurt your brain. So be alert for any new symptoms, dizziness, headache that doesn’t go away etc.
Oh gosh, glad you're OK, RP.
So be alert for any new symptoms, dizziness, headache that doesn’t go away etc.
For sure. Several years ago a co-worker was in a taxi that had to stop abruptly. He lunged forward and hit his head on the partition separating the front of the cab from the back. He didn't think too much about it. A neighbor, hearing his vacuum running non-stop, found him the next day slumped on his bed, dead. Bleeding from his ear.
The industrial revolution cheapened everything.
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I am selling my bikes. Keeping the trikes. Sometimes on the Tucson bike path ebikes zip by weaving through bike traffic. On the bridges people try to take the middle and handlebars could clash.
If I get hit while on the trike, the cyclist should go over the trike or at least it should not tip the trike over. -
Falls... the reality of aging.
Plenty written on what to do to help prevent falls, but I know more than a few people that would really struggle getting back up after a fall without some sort of support. My mom is currently working on this in PT after a few falls - the last in a parking lot away from anything to help climb back up. -
I only ride bike paths. From my garage it is short block in a townhome complex to the path or the sidewalk by the door to the bike path. From Bob's garage it is a short bit in a development to an intersection with stop signs to a bike lane for a short block to Tucson's Loop. The Loop circle a large portion of Tucson and has a spur that goes through a suburb. Rides of 138 miles can be done. It may be the best path in the US. People travel to Tucson in the winter to ride.
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I champion bike helmets. A dachshund mix leading a bunch of other dogs slammed into my front wheel years ago. My helmet was destroyed, but it had done its job.
That or my mother was right. I have a hard head. -
Best advice I’ve heard from a PT is to practice getting up from the floor every day, without any support or assistance.
@wtg Does this mean getting up without using your hands, or just not leaning onto a chair/table/other stationary object? We were just discussing this with Mr. AM’s sister, who was screened with this question and she wasn’t sure she had answered it correctly.
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@adagiom - here's the info. Shrey Vazir is a physiotherapist; I'm on his mailing list and get an email once a week. Here's the one about getting up off the floor.
I basically never talk about my grandma in these emails.
But she taught me one of the most important lessons about aging, mobility, and independence.
And she probably doesn't even realize it.
Most People Stop Practicing This After Age 60
My grandma is 89 years old and has severe knee arthritis (both knees).
Yet she can get up from the floor with more confidence than many people 20 or 30 years younger than her.
What's remarkable is that she doesn't have a special exercise routine or a fancy mobility program.
Her secret is much simpler.
For years, she's sat on the floor every day to pray.
That's it.
Without realizing it, she's been practicing one of the most important movement skills for healthy aging:
Getting down to the floor and getting back up again.
Now most people assume that getting off the floor becomes difficult because of age.
Or because they're "not as strong as they used to be."
But as a physiotherapist, I've found something surprising:
For many people, the problem isn't strength.
It's practice.
Think about riding a bike.
If you haven't ridden one in 20 years, the first attempt feels awkward.
Not because you've forgotten how to ride.
But because your body has forgotten the sequence.
Getting up from the floor is similar.
Your body often remembers more than you think.
It just needs a reminder.
Here's Your Challenge
Over the next week, practice getting up from the floor once per day.Not after a fall.
Not when you desperately need to.
Practice before you need it.
If you're unsure how, here's a simple sequence I suggest (called the CRAWLS method)
C - Take a deep breath and stay calm R - Reach arm over and roll to your side A - Adjust one or both knees W - Walk one leg underneath your body L - Level yourself into a bear or a mini-plank position S - Slowly walk your hands back and stand up, or walk your legs towards your handake your time and move slowly.
Keep a sturdy chair nearby if needed.
The goal isn't speed.
The goal is confidence.
The Bigger Lesson
Many of the abilities we associate with "getting older" are actually skills we've stopped practicing.Getting up from the floor.
Balancing on one leg.
Climbing stairs.
Walking briskly.
Carrying groceries.
The less we do them, the harder they become.The more we practice them, the longer we keep them.
My grandma didn't preserve her mobility through some complicated program.
She simply kept using it.
And that may be the most powerful lesson of all.
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I fell off my bike on Thursday. Not a crash in traffic, I was just dismounting.
I misjudged the height of my right leg/foot clearing the saddle, so I went down.
I think it’s a matter of losing flexibility with age. It IS a tall saddle height that’s worked for the last 25 years, but maybe I need to do other exercise to stay flexible.
Anyway, although I don’t think my head hit the ground, and my (brand-new) helmet looked unscathed, I could feel that something moved inside my skull. No disorientation, and I put the bike in the car and drove home normally.
I went to the urgent care a few hours later, and they tested my reflexes, and said don’t worry unless I get dizzy or confused or nauseous, or experience vision changes, but if I do, go to a hospital.
So my head felt achy for a couple of days, but it’s getting better. I seem to have all my faculties and I’m practicing effectively.
I do feel the effects on other body parts. My neck, shoulder, hip, elbow, knee are sore. I feel like I’ve been in a bar fight.
But thank goodness for bike helmets. Maybe it could have been worse.
@RealPlayer I’m glad you’re okay. Protect your head! I’m a big fan of bike helmets. I had a concussion (even with helmet) in a bike accident nearly 30 years ago. Woke up in the street. I think I slid on wet pavement, but I have no memory of the accident.
Mr. AM traded bikes for one with a step-through frame several years ago when he was no longer able to throw his leg over the crossbar of his bikes. I don’t think you’re at that point, but it’s something to consider for the future.
@jon-nyc We love rails to trails! Gentle grade, off the road, usually through nice areas. The only thing I don’t like is the stanchions where the trail crosses a road. They’re there so cars don’t come up the trail. But suddenly I feel like I can’t steer well between them!
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Oh gosh, glad you're OK, RP.
So be alert for any new symptoms, dizziness, headache that doesn’t go away etc.
For sure. Several years ago a co-worker was in a taxi that had to stop abruptly. He lunged forward and hit his head on the partition separating the front of the cab from the back. He didn't think too much about it. A neighbor, hearing his vacuum running non-stop, found him the next day slumped on his bed, dead. Bleeding from his ear.
@Bernard oh dear that’s heartbreaking! And terrifying!
Re getting up off the floor, I can’t really do that without my hands. But I’m very good if I can use my hands, I don’t need any other assistance. We stretch almost every evening, on the floor in our bedroom, so we get down, do our routine and then get back up again. I also do a whole set of upper and lower body routine that I started when my knees started to go. So I some ways I’m pretty good.
What I can’t do is a single leg sit to stand, which would be good to be able to do if I ever get my foot surgery (which I hope to put off until forever…)
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