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How do you feel about falling?
Aging Well | Last Active: Feb 26, 2024 | Replies (190)Comment receiving replies
Hello!
A question for which many of us have an answer: Have you ever worked with a physical therapist who really understands your particular condition? I have had difficulty finding such a physical therapist. I'm 78, with idiopathic peripheral neuropathy; falling––or I should say, NOT falling––is 24/7 very much on my mind. Fortunately, I've not fallen, not in a long, long time. When doctors get that telltale glint in their eyes ("You may not have a problem then … "), I'm quick to tell them that my not having had a bad fall in recent years is due only to my having earned a Ph.D. in proprioception (I do at-home balance work every day). I want these doctors to understand that my not having fallen requires constant, focused vigilance on my part (which can be exhausting). The physical therapists I've worked with over the years––and they've been a baker's dozen, every one of them concerned, compassionate, and eager to help me––have, the moment they regard me as a person of 78, approached my balance issues as those of most any person of 78 (i.e., "old"). I've had a devil of a time getting them to understand what a person––any person, regardless of age––who has idiopathic peripheral neuropathy feels (or DOESN'T feel in the soles of their feet) begs for a little extra understanding. Certainly, my age is a contributing factor, but my neuropathy is, too, perhaps the chief contributing factor.
I wish us all a good day!
Ray (@ray666)
Replies to "Hello! A question for which many of us have an answer: Have you ever worked with..."
Ray,
You deserve many kudos! Any Doctor or Physical Therapist that hasn't a clue about no awareness of your feet in relation to any surface you are walking on should lose their licenses. My sibling was 35 and couldn't feel the soles of her feet. They didn't understand her either. Don't ever think it is your age or let any so called Doctor or Therapist tell you your age is simply the problem and the neuropathy has nothing to do with it. Shame on these people. My heart goes out to you.
Shelley
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@ray666 Hello Ray- thanks for chiming in on this. You provide yet another example of how much we need to be our own advocates and describe our issues in great detail along with what we've tried and what has or has not worked. Physicians who are friends keep telling me that medicine is not an exact science though many practitioners may treat it as so. Because I have vestibular issues, I too attempt to practice balancing exercises daily to retrain proprioceptive senses. Because I also have occasional vertigo, his often results in momentary episode of dizziness and slight nausea. As my mother often said, "Getting old is not for the faint of heart, but it sure beats the alternative." And so, we carry on the best we can. Ray, do you follow a particular routine for your balancing exercises? As a one-time yoga teacher, I used to encourage people to brush their teeth twice a day while standing on one foot!