For over two years, I wore an NHS badge with the title Falls Specialist Assistant. However, it has nothing to do with stunt-person falls or the controlled falling emphasized in martial arts, such as Judo. No, this role involved helping everyday people avoid falling over. The risk of falling from standing (or even sitting) increases with age, and as they say in the trade, the causes of a fall are often ‘multi-factorial.’

So, on the morning of August 12th, 2023, I experienced my own freak slip to the ground.

Yes, isn’t it ironic…

I use the term ‘freak’ because I had no intention or expectation of falling to the ground and writhing in pain on the floor. Subconsciously, I had ignored the principles of fall prevention as I carried miscellaneous items down unfamiliar stairs. It was either my foot placement or my sliding bare feet on the carpeted stairs that sent me tumbling back. I remember, for a split second, trying to decide how to save an empty wine glass I carried in one hand while attempting to break my fall with the same arm. What followed resulted in the use of my dominant right arm attempting to control the fall and extending back behind me.

The Pain!

Fortunately, my partner took me to the accident and emergency department at the nearby hospital, where I received care and attention before leaving with painkillers and my arm in a sling.

As I write, it’s now five months since that fateful day, and five weeks since corrective surgery on two torn rotator cuff tendons (of the right shoulder).

I may not be driving, running, performing a vinyasa, lifting weights, or swinging kettlebells, but I’m extremely lucky. Fortunate because I’ve encountered those who have experienced less dramatic falls and still have difficulty standing from a chair way past five months.

For some, the prospect can be even bleaker as they lay in soiled clothing, waiting hours for an ambulance to arrive, followed by a long, disorientating hospital stay and the gradual realization that their injury will be life-changing. In some cases, fatal.

I can live with my 5-inch scar and uncomfortable physiotherapy exercises. Plus, I’m grateful for countryside walks as my main exercise. I’m also grateful for my renewed awareness of and duty to make exercise more accessible.

I hope sharing part of my journey can thus prove meaningful.