Tropical Amps
Miami Florida
Amputee Peer Support Group
AK Fall Recovery
ARG! Don't you just hate falling on your rump? About the best thing
to do first, as soon as possible, is just ask yourself if you are
seriously hurt. Chances are that you aren't hurt, just embarrassed.
Ok then. I guess we're gonna survive. Here's all it takes to get
back on your feet again.
The first step is to begin turning yourself over onto your "good"
side. You'll have to use both of your arms and good leg to do it the
way I am demonstrating here. You're basically going to bring your
center of gravity closer and closer to your feet until it's safe to
let go of the ground again.
Get your prosthesis way out away from your torso as shown and use your
arm strength to momentarily support your weight. This takes only an
instant and is necessary for you to get your good leg a little bit
more under your torso.
In this step, you apply a little strength to each of your good limbs,
equally and begin to rise up. Your prosthetic foot is in the same
spot on the ground as before but the entire rest of your body is being
moved up over the prosthetic foot.
Something not pictured but essential to mention is that in each of the
above steps, as you are maneuvering your arms and good leg under your
body, your hands have "walked" underneath you and towards the
prosthetic foot. The spot on earth where you set the prosthetic foot
in the first place is about where you will end up standing by using
this technique. From this point now, about all there is left to do is
straighten your back and you'll be on both feet again.
Finally you are standing. You'll need to adjust the position of both
your feet now so that your weight is equally on both of them. Pause
here a moment since you just got through rising to a standing position
and this can leave some people a tiny bit dizzy. Right? You don't
want to topple over again!
That's it. Hope you enjoy this little training exercise and for
Heaven's sake, try and keep your butt off the ground!
Jerry Sievers
Traumatic LAK 2000
js@jerrysievers.com
(305) 321-1144
Miami, FL