How many times have you fallen out of your wheelchair? For me its three times, since becoming a para four years ago on the operating table.
Each time I've fallen has been at home and totally my own fault, leaning and bending over without putting the brakes on, I keep doing it all the time knowing that I am putting myself at risk, why? Do any of you do the same, and who holds the record for being on the floor.

I have yet to fall out of my chair, although I have fallen once while transferring from the bed. I didn't pop up enough and my leg pushed the chair away and I slid down between the bed and the chair.

It's an almost every-day occasion, and it's usually my fault. I have very bad balance and I can't control my ab muscles, so I'm prone to tipping

I also exercise and stretch on the floor a lot, though, and when I get down most of the time, it ends with a plop. Thankfully we have nice carpet though.

I've fallen off the bed a couple times. When I stand with a walker too long, a knee will give out and I've fallen a few dozen times. (Yay! for carpet again) I've taken a wheely too far and tipped over backwards a few times and I slipped once really bad in the bathtub. Twice in the yard, the front wheel got stuck on a rock or in the soil and the whole chair flips forward.

I'm actually surprised I don't have a head injury by now

Yeah, I really lost count by now. Once in the shower (probably the WORST place to fall, in terms of bruising), several times just outside the house, and the rest inside. Oh yeah, and once in a parking lot--I'd just transfered into the car, and I was adjusting my butt . . . unfortunately I went a little to far.--lol

My last tumble several weeks ago was the first time I was able to get myself back into the chair. Good thing to, 'cause I'm alone all day.

only once . i was drunk and forgot i could not walk

I have lost count.

Stupidest time... Put a really heavy grocery bag on the back, forgot it was there and tried to wheelie down a kerb. Ended up with my head in a milky orange juice omlette

Most embarrasing time... Was walking a local councillor through the town centre and was just explaining how dangerous a huge pothole in the middle of the road was when it exerted that irresistable pothole magnetism and my casters hit it dumping me into the road

Most injurious time... Gently slipped out of my chair onto my knees after hitting a microscopic uneveness on the pavement. Broke me leg

Scariest time... Reversed into a lift (elevator) only to find the car was about 3 feet below the floor If I hadn't been paralysed I would have shit myself!

Tin

I've done that too! I was on the porch and grabbed the railing thinking "this is gonna be easy". It's funny how you think (or don't) when you're inebriated. Wood floors = ouch.

Duke has fallen several times.......the first time it was terrifying, now I just look at him and ask "what are you doing down there?" If you don't fall, I don't think that you are getting out enough!

I can't count that high

I fell out of the bed twice when I was little, then another time I was walking in my RGO's, and my therapist walked away, and I don't know what happened, but I fell backwards. That was a rough landing, considering the fact that I fell at like a 5 foot distance. But I've never fallen out of my chair before. I hate getting hurt, so I will go to great extremes to make sure it doesn't happen, lol. I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt. I also have my tip bars on the back of me still :] but I have them really high up so that I can pop over curbs or steps, but still won't be able to fall backwards.

I have fallen backwards in my chair though, when I was younger (before I became a safety nerd). We were putt-putting for my sisters birthday, and my dad had my tip bars up so I could get to the holes. When we were done, he forget to put them down. Well, I did a wheelie and BAM. I fell on the concrete, and my head bled. A while ago (within the last year or so) I asked my mom and sister if they remembered that, and it turns out my dad had never told them about it! Haha. Then there was another time when I was just doing a wheelie in my kitchen, and I fell backwards. I didn't realize my tip bars were up. I was like 6 or 7. The last time I fell backwards in my chair, my mom was driving, and it was only a really short distance, so I just stayed in my chair. She turned a corner, and I flew backwards, lol.

The only time where I almost fell out of my chair was in third grade. I was at recess, and this guy wanted to play tag, but I said no. He basically ignored me, and started chasing me. So, I "ran". I ended up catching my casters in the sewer grate, and I flipped over. I got totally banged up. I had scratches and scrapes and was all bloody. It didn't scare me until I tasted blood. Then I started crying.

Oh, just remembered another time. Fourth grade. I was getting out of the van, and one of my casters hit a TINY rock, and my chair fell forward. So embarrassing. It was like 8:20 am and people were all waiting outside to get into their classrooms, so they all saw it. I laughed it off, lol.

Okay just remembered my last time. It was like the same as the fourth grade incident, but I was in my house and leaned down to pick something up, but my chair went forward. My cousin was standing behind me, and I said "uhm... do you think you could possibly pull me back up?" Actually, it happened again a few months after that. I was in my shower chair, going from the pool room to the bathroom to take a shower, and my mom was pushing me, and she hit the door lip, and I fell out.

Ohhh, yay, I actually had a story that involved me falling OUT of a chair! I didn't think I did! I didn't remember half of these times until I started thinking hard! Haha. I knew one was bound to come up.

Too many times to count! Let's see......I'm pretty sure it's at least a couple times a year & since it's been 19&1/2+ yrs now.......well do the math. Hitting hardwood floors reinforces why they're called HARD-wood floors. Oh & cement......is very unforgiving. If you're going to fall out of your chair best place to do it as is some grass.....Mother Nature was kind enough to at least make most grassy areas fairly soft in comparison to other surfaces.

I can't count that high
I have lost count.
i was drunk and forgot i could not walk
I'm actually surprised I don't have a head injury by now

Done em all .. including

Watching my chair roll away and leave me in the car
Tipping up to get up a curb and not stopping till my back reached the road
Blacking out and waking up on the floor (not alchohol related)
Picking my leg up to look at my toes and my back reached the floor
Pulled the chair over after a shower and in the process of transfer my bum hit the deck
A helpful bi-ped and a hole through me out head first - ohhhhhhhhh sorry
Rolling of the back of my bike and the wheels hit a stone ledge
The fun just goes on and on

It happens, after a while I just got better at falling. The way i see it If you are very active there's no way for it not to happen occasionally, most of the time now I am able to catch with my hands as not to damage the old arse.

I just remembered this one, but I don't think it counts for falling out of the chair. My dad built this really jimmy-rigged elevator, and the cord broke when I was half a story up. My chair tipped backwards and I hit the back of my head on a ledge made of 2x4's. I think that was my worst fall ever.

I fell out of my chair once.... broke my foot, cracked the cartilage in my nose...

And I tipped my chair backwards before.... long story, crazy story.

Both times in my manual chair...haven't fallen out of my power chair chair....YET.

I like to fall at least 3-6 times a day, any less means I'm being lazy.

Hey Q,

How did you get back up into the chair?

I ask this, because I used to be able to transfer from the ground to the chair, but now I cannot. It is a combination of sore shoulders and a heavier me. Anyway, the last couple of times I looked aound for a low box, put that beside the bed, and then transferred from the ground to the box, from the box to the bed, and then from the bed to the chair.

Now I wonder what you did.

Best Regards,

Gordon

That was how I was taught to get up when I was in physical therapy rehab. I went from the floor to a box, then to the chair or another step of some sort. The only way I can get myself back in the chair now is to back it up against a wall and then put my back right next to where the feet rests are. If I don't put the chair against a wall it'll go backwards and farther away from me. I reach backwards and grab the top of the curved part (that goes down to the foot rests) and try to push myself back up. I weigh about 15 lbs more than I did when I was first paralyzed, and it took me a couple years before I figured out a good way to do it, but it's the only one I found that works for me. It's hard to extend my shoulders back that far, but after attempting it so many times, they got more limber. I can't lift myself while I'm facing the chair, or pull myself up by grabbing other parts.

The bad thing about that method is it can really hurt your shoulders, and if they're already sore, I hope it wouldn't make them worse. One of the ways I was taught in rehab was to try and pull myself up, facing the chair, and then when I was off the ground, to pull from the top of the chair and drag my butt the rest of the way. I've never been able to get this, but it sounds like it'd be easier on the shoulders.

This is the only way I get close!

Thats the only way Ive been able to do it too, to climb in face first.. Although I havent so much as attempted it in the new chair.

I'm having trouble visualizing this. Does anybody have a link to a video?

Thanks,

Gordon

You basically crawl up.. lean onto seat and attempt to pull yourself up into the chair. The trick & tricky part is you need one hand holding and pulling you up, while the other hand needs to be positioned between your hips and the edge of seat. You've got to help your hips up or else you'll just be stuck in the kneeling position. Once hips are up you have to flip over, legs can sometimes prevent the flip so you may have to stop while balancing on your side and (un)cross your legs.

Its not so much that its hard its more technique than strength. Buts its a pain in the ass to get down and I cant seem to find the energy to deal w/ it!

It's been over 2 years since my SCI and I think I've fallen between 20-25 times. Half from my wheelchair, and the other half from walking.

When I first got home from SC rehab I had a seatbelt on my chair and everytime I'd be wheeling along the sidewalk and hit an uneven slab, I'd go flying through the air...with the bloody thing strapped to me and fall with it on top of me. After a few times, I decided, "F*** this! I don't care that they teach you to wear your seatbelt in rehab. I refuse to fall one more time with the bloody thing landing on top of me like the shell of an armadillo." So I removed my seatbelt. I have been thrown from my chair a few times but landing is not as bad as having one's chair land on top of you.

Falling from walking is a L O N G way down. My balance sucks, so you can actually blow on me and I'll fall. hehe. When you are falling, however, you have the time to think, "$hit, I'm falling and I haven't hit the ground yet..."

I hate falling. It really hurts and I don't recommend it! Fortunately, I've never broken anything. Notwithstanding, my wheelchair skills have greatly improved and I'm quite good at regaining my balance when I start to wobble. I have NOT fallen since May 2009 now, so I'm hoping I'm past the falling phase.

I haven't fallen out of the chair, but as a "walking quad" (creeping, actually) I fall often from my feet. First time in rehab I was trying to stretch my hamstring and my knee gave way. My caretaker was behind me and I fell on top of her. Uproarious laughter.

I fell and cracked my head on a marble shelf in the bedroom and I never knew why I fell. I just pitched forward. Maybe I got spasms in my feet occasionally becuz another time I pitched forward into the kitchen counter. Since I was in spasm I couldn't relax the fall, I just pitched over like a tree going down. Cracked my chin good.

Lots more- I'm practicing standing from the chair without holding onto anything so I expect to fall often, but it looks so elegant when I succeed.

OK. I had to take a 5 minute break to see if what I was going to say is really true, and it is. I can get up in the middle of the room now! Every day I get down on my mats on the floor to exercise and before, I got up facing the chair. That took about month to learn after rehab. My PT was shocked to learn it was my last day so she showed me how SHE could get back into my chair, then I had to figure it out at home and build the strength. The first week my caretaker had to haul up on my belt. I meander...

Last week I wondered if my ulnar nerve was healed up enough to try getting into the chair by backing up to it. Several times I've tried it when I had fallen only to have my feet slide out in front of me. There I was, back barely hooked over my seat, with my legs rigid out in front of me- couldn't get up or down. But NOW, my friends, I can lift myself backing up into the chair out in the middle of the room. There is a horizontal bar about 8 inches from the floor that wings out to the casters. I get my butt against the footrest, hands on the castor bar, then omph my butt onto the footrest. Then I pull my feet tight against my butt so my weight will be forward, put hands up on the seat level tubing and whooo-hoo! I'm up. I did it! Time to go fall down again!

Can you tell? I'm really excited about this. Next year I'm going to WIN that damned race with the arthritic snail!

Pwuff



Wow, Citygirl! That is almost 6 months without a fall. I hate them too- Usually ruins my day.

Not to different from you Gordon. I was also in the bedroom at the time. I took my w/c cushion off the chair and put it on a 3" pillow, then I worked myself on top and in front of a low bench. So I went from pillows, to bench, to chair. Same, same.

It just felt good to do it at all, as I never got that far in rehab.

gpood for you, buddy.

Amusing Interlude

After my spinal damage in 73, and miraculas recovery, I was in due process of learning to walk again with sprung calipers fitted to my shoes.
Then the fatal day when the physio says "we will try some steps"
So we proceed to the stairwell and in front and facing me we proceed down the steps, when
My calipers catapulted me forward into her arms and we both stumbled and fell down the short flight of steps.

Then in 93 that ability died and by 95 was perminantly in a chair.

Only three times from the chair in 10 years- all from pulling wheelie stunts.

I have fallen far more often more from walking than from my chair....usually because I lose my balance or my ankle flips (weak ankles and drop foot).
City Girl got it right when she said it's a long way down. Fell three weeks ago from near standing height vertically down on my hip. Left a bone bruise which can take up to 6 months to heal.

I have fallen dozens of times. Forward and backwards. Always my own fault..

more times than i can count...
i fell twice this week haha twisted my knee pretty good too
most interesting time was probably on an esacalator

Had a good laugh at all your antics, seems some of us just seem to accept that it is part of our daily routine to land on the floor at least once a day.

If you fall in the grass, beware of ants. Early on I wanted to see how far I could go in my yard. Well, I didn't even get off my sidewalk! My grass is tall, so my front wheels just went down and my footplate got stuck in an antpile. I got several antbites, but at least they didn't hurt.