Hi, I'm Laurie. New to this site today, but I've posted many times on other Mayo sites. @jakedduck, your post about your walker accidents had me jumping to attention. I am a faithful walker user. My walker is my best friend. My main concern for all of us is, always, always, have your brakes on when you are about to use your walker.
When you fell, Jake, did you apply your brakes before you tried to get up? If not, the walker tends to swing away as you grab it, thereby causing a problem. Even when I'm using my walker in my apartment and make a short-lived stop, I always, always, apply my brakes. At my seniors' residence here, they drill that into our heads so it's an ingrained habit. If we ignore the brake-applying step when a staff member is present, they quickly scold "Put your brakes on!" This may sound elementary and even annoying (it IS!) but it made a believer out of me after I'd had a few misses when my un-braked walker swung away from me unexpectedly.
Once during that period, I did fall, and I literally couldn't get up until I was able to reach up and apply my brakes. Before the brakes were applied, I tried to use my walker to raise myself from the floor, and it just swung away from me. I hope my story might help someone from a walker accident. As I said, my walker is now my best friend!