So...ice on the sidewalk...

Isn't so fun, actually.

I've been away at a friends house with Stratus, my kitten, because we thought maybe he'd behave better for a bath at someone else's house (he did, but I don't think it was because of location). I just got home, both of us still somewhat wet, and it's below freezing (he was wrapped in a towel, under a light blanket, in his carrier, and I lept over a small pile of snow to get to my porch faster, but...

There was ice RIGHT there. I slipped, and fell to one knee, and Stratus' carrier slammed to the ground. I kneeled there for a moment, stunned that I had fallen, since it's only about once a year that I fall on ice. Stratus meowed, as if asking, "Are you okay?". Or maybe he was saying, "Get a move on, it's frickin COLD out here!". =3 I'm not sure which. I'll assume he was worried.

And now my knee is VERY purple, but thankfully, not bleeding. It's slightly swollen, where it collided with the icey cement, but I'm pretty sure everything's fine.

Anyone else have some bad falls this winter? =<

Oh no, hope it heals up quickly for you. I've had some bad falls in the past, not on ice (knock on wood), but they can beat you up pretty bad. I hope you are able to stay off it for a bit.

No falls (yet) this year, my problem is steps. I'm averaging everyother year with those tumbles.

Apply ice packs to it to help reduce swelling. Take Ibuprofen for the pain.

The irony of an injury from falling on ice... put ice on it.

I hate ice. I already walk a bit weird (right foot is turned out some and I don't move the leg normally) so I'm sometimes unsteady when I walk and I'm prone to lightheaded/dizziness at times... I look at ice with dread and make someone come over to help hold me up - or to serve as a cushion if we both fall.

Hopefully you just bruised it and the swelling will go down after a while. If the pain stays for too long have a doctor check it to make sure you didn't fracture anything.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

I hate ice.

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Ditto that! In March 1990 I slipped and fell...twice! It was a freezing rain/snow evening and I was on my way home from work. I had gotten off the bus and was walking across the street. When I got to the middle of the road I took a bad fall. I fell on my knees and had instant pain in my right leg. I thought it was from my knee because I had fallen so hard. And you know how you get a zinging pain when you bang your knee? That's what I felt.

I stood up to take a step because I was in the middle of the road at 8:30pm and it was dark. I didn't want to get run over by a car too! Well as soon as I took a step with my right leg I fell again.

I realized that my leg was broken I started to crawl off the road and was really distressed because I had no idea how I was going to get the 1/2 block to my house.

The next thing I know some guy is picking me up off the ground and throwing me into the front seat of a car with some guy in it (who turned out to be the local pharamacist). He drove me to the hospital ER where I spent a week. I had to have surgery and now have a titanium plate, 6 screws and a pin in my ankle.

Ever since then I'm really freaked about walking on ice too. Obviously living where there is cold and snow it's not possible to avoid it. I've fallen several times since then, but haven't done any other damage other than a bruised butt.

I have come very close but maintained my feet this year but this Wed. DH fell hard on a patch of ice. So hard in fact, that his wedding band flew off his hand! His hand is all cut up ad his leg is developing some very nice bruises... and he hardly ever bruises. (we found the ring btw)

^Ouch, what else did he fall on to cut his hand?

And I've heard of people commonly breaking ankles and wrists in falls, larger bones if the person's bones are weak for any reason. So that must have been a really hard fall. I've been lucky that most of my hard falls have been on my butt - but there's not much padding there so maybe it's no surprise my back has problems now.

It's great that there are still some good samaritans out there. Maybe not everyone is wrapped up completely in their own little worlds that they can't help others. I'd like to think that several of the people on here would be the type to stop and help, too.

Suggestion of the day, remember to salt and sand your porch and walkways!

Originally Posted by Katzyn

Isn't so fun, actually.

I've been away at a friends house with Stratus, my kitten, because we thought maybe he'd behave better for a bath at someone else's house (he did, but I don't think it was because of location). I just got home, both of us still somewhat wet, and it's below freezing (he was wrapped in a towel, under a light blanket, in his carrier, and I lept over a small pile of snow to get to my porch faster, but...

There was ice RIGHT there. I slipped, and fell to one knee, and Stratus' carrier slammed to the ground. I kneeled there for a moment, stunned that I had fallen, since it's only about once a year that I fall on ice. Stratus meowed, as if asking, "Are you okay?". Or maybe he was saying, "Get a move on, it's frickin COLD out here!". =3 I'm not sure which. I'll assume he was worried.

And now my knee is VERY purple, but thankfully, not bleeding. It's slightly swollen, where it collided with the icey cement, but I'm pretty sure everything's fine.

Anyone else have some bad falls this winter? =<

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Two things- one is RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation. And as Nat said, NSAIDS for pain and swelling. Ice it- first 24 hours are crucial. Rest it, stay off of it. Elevate it. (put a pillow under it.)

Point number two - don't assume that you didn't do more than soft tissue damage. A fall like that can crack the kneecap. If you have insurance, call your doctor and see what he/she says.

Originally Posted by Katzyn

Anyone else have some bad falls this winter? =<

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Not this year, but a couple years ago I was carrying a box through a parking lot and found the ONE patch of ice in the whole thing, slipped, and landed right on my butt. I must have bruised my tailbone because it's hurt ever since. Everytime it's going to rain, or it gets really cold, or I sit too long it starts to bother me. So I can definately sympathize!! Hope you feel better!

woah that was unlucky! Fortunately here we've not seen a single snowflake - or at least any that stayed for more than an hour or two - so I've not had the chance to fall over that can still happen though!

Originally Posted by Beck4582

I must have bruised my tailbone because it's hurt ever since. Everytime it's going to rain, or it gets really cold, or I sit too long it starts to bother me.

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There are discs and a lot of nerves that run down there. It might be a good idea to have that x-rayed - bruising wouldn't cause pain two years later but arthritis would.

I hate ice as well. I live on the third floor and my stairs are outside. That is a nasty combination during Canadian Winters...I go throw at least 5-6 bags a salt every season just to be on the safe side....

Hope you heal up quickly....

Originally Posted by strange_wings

^Ouch, what else did he fall on to cut his hand?

And I've heard of people commonly breaking ankles and wrists in falls, larger bones if the person's bones are weak for any reason. So that must have been a really hard fall.

I've been lucky that most of my hard falls have been on my butt - but there's not much padding there so maybe it's no surprise my back has problems now.

It's great that there are still some good samaritans out there. Maybe not everyone is wrapped up completely in their own little worlds that they can't help others. I'd like to think that several of the people on here would be the type to stop and help, too.

Suggestion of the day, remember to salt and sand your porch and walkways!

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He slipped on the sidewalk but landed in the parking lot and it was just rubble from the lot that cut his hand.

Last year (right before a dance final) I slipped and royally twisted/sprained my ankle. And several years ago a woman I work with slipped on her front porch and she now has a metal plate in her ankle/foot and some screws.

The worst tumble i've taken was when we were coming out of the National Arts Center, and there was this itty bitty bit of ice on the steps. The steps are at an angle and they're cemented with these little sharp rocks .... Well .... It was very quick. I slipped on that little patch of ice, got up, walked on to the lights to cross over to the bus route. Looked down and my knee was GUSHING blood. So I had to face the humiliation and pain of limping to the bus stop with my leg bleeding royally, sitting there on the bus with a kleenex blotting all the blood, people staring at me, me crying. I didn't go to the hospital, but I know I should have. The next day my leg was so swollen I could hardly get out of bed, so when I did get downstairs I just watched TV all day, iced the knee, and took a few tylenols, stayed home for a few days. It healed pretty well, there's no pain or anything. All I have now is a deep little scar, it looks like a dimple. The sharp rock must have punctured a blood vessel because it was absolutely horrible bleeding like that.

Also when I I was little I was skating on the Rideau Canal with my brother and a few friends, and somehow I slipped, and my brother who was at least 180 pounds vs. my 80 pounds tripped and fell on top of me ..... My knees were bruised but I was okay.

Ew, yeah ice is not fun at all to slip on..I hope your knee is better soon

Sorry for bumping. =3 I was gone for the weekend at a friend house and a cat show.

I'm fine, thank you, everyone. It was just a bruising (the knee's still purple, by the way, but doesn't hurt).

And I cringed at some of your stories...o_o Ouch.

I went to get the newspaper in our driveway Sunday morning. The walkway looked nice and clear - wrong! Black ice (i.e., invisible ice to you non-northern folks). I stepped down from the step, my foot hit the ice and I went completely down onto my back in a fraction of a second I swear.

Fortunately I took Judo and Jui-Jitsu some years ago and know how to land correctly or at least to do the least amount of damage during a fall. All is well, I had no soreness or aching - nice clean fall. I did take baby steps after that when I proceeded to get the paper.

^ I can never control my falls when I slip, it happens too quickly. (I can't control them when I'm nearly unconscious either - but that's another matter entirely).

My last bad fall was from a puddle, not ice. I had just been released from physical therapy the day before and managed to undo any of the good it had done. And I had a concussion that lasted for two days...those two days are a bit fuzzy.

Moral of the story, slow down and look were you're going.


Katzyn, it's good to see that your knee is feeling better.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

^ I can never control my falls when I slip, it happens too quickly. (I can't control them when I'm nearly unconscious either - but that's another matter entirely).

My last bad fall was from a puddle, not ice. I had just been released from physical therapy the day before and managed to undo any of the good it had done.

And I had a concussion that lasted for two days...those two days are a bit fuzzy.

Moral of the story, slow down and look were you're going.


Katzyn, it's good to see that your knee is feeling better.

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I can't consciously control my falls either - it's all a result of years of training and practicing so that it becomes second-nature. It's especially important now that I'm into my 60's and my old bones aren't quite as supple as they used to be.

Wow, you sure have had some bad luck. Hope it gets better.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I went to get the newspaper in our driveway Sunday morning. The walkway looked nice and clear - wrong! Black ice (i.e., invisible ice to you non-northern folks). I stepped down from the step, my foot hit the ice and I went completely down onto my back in a fraction of a second I swear.

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Yup, yup. That's what I fell on, too. Didn't see it until I was on my knee on it. =3

Glad you didn't hurt yourself. =D I tried to learn how to fall in my martial arts class a couple of years ago, but I was always too darn stiff. =<