Oops! What just happened? I was walking to my car in a parking garage one minute and seconds later was down on the floor, injuring my shoulder. I was fortunate enough to have been able to see Dr. Alex Fokin, Jr., an orthopedist with the Memorial Physician Group in Hollywood within hours of the fall.
Thankfully, it was a minor fracture requiring only a sling, but when he asked me if I knew why I fell, I said, “I was just walking along and poof, it happened.” He smiled and said, “I know why.” He stood up and showed me that instead of lifting my feet, I was shuffling (scraping my feet on the pavement) and that caused me to slip and fall. Luck was on my side, the injury healed well and I’m back to doing my normal activities.
I was stunned. In all the years I spent as a nurse taking care of people with multiple types of injuries as a result of a fall, this was the first time I heard the word “shuffle.” Dr. Fokin explained that it is one of the most common causes of falls today and it has nothing to do with age (at least that was a relief because I just turned 81 on my last birthday). As humans, we are very distracted and don’t pay attention as we should when doing certain tasks like walking, as an example.
During my morning walk now, I’ve been noticing how many people are on their phones, listening to music with pods in their ears, talking to the folks they’re walking with, not tying their shoes laces properly, etc. instead of paying attention to their surroundings. Sometimes, as in my case, it just happens. I have many dog pals that I see on my stroll and they always lift their paws up so that they won’t fall. How much smarter my pooch friends are! We can certainly learn from them.
Think back to when you were a kid and your mom always reminded you to lift your feet. You didn’t always listen then, but maybe now that you’re a grown-up big kid you’ll remember to lift your feet — don’t shuffle!
Rona Levitt is a retired nurse who now spends time volunteering to share her life learning experiences and give back to the community.
