Knowing how to recover after a fall is essential for people with FM. As someone successfully living with fibromyalgia, I know first hand how devastating falling can be. The pain is overwhelming. The fear of falling makes me very cautious in the activities I undertake and I watch the ground meticulously.
The Fall
Recently I took a very bad fall and landed full weight on my hands. Through the grace of God I didn’t break anything, but the pain…. After pausing to make a mental scan of my body to see if it was safe to get up, I finally allowed my family to help me to my feet. My ankle was the only thing that was really hurting, so gingerly we continued on our walk. Miraculously, there wasn’t even any road burn on the palms of my hands from where they slid on the pavement. To the outside world, aka my family, I was absolutely fine. My body was telling me something completely different.
What most people don’t understand is that fibromyalgia can make even the slightest touch hurt like a punch. A friendly mock punch to the shoulder, can leave you aching for days. The fall that I took, left my wrists, shoulder joints, back, and hips in flames. Simple things like walking becomes painful. Picking things up or typing on a typewriter sends shooting pains that still ache after you stop. Stopping life and curling up in a ball is the first reaction I have to try to end the constant pain. Unfortunately that is the last thing you should do.
The best way to recover after a fall
So what is the best way to recover after a fall? Exercise. Yes, that’s right, exercise. After any fall, your muscles will want to freeze up, making the pain increase. Although it may seem counter intuitive, the best way to counteract this is to keep your body moving. I had to work the day after the fall, which requires a lot of walking. The day after that I went back to doing my exercise routine again. I cut back on repetitions, and went slowly, but I completed the whole thing; even the pushups!!! My wrists hurt so badly that I didn’t think I’d be able to do any of the exercises where my arms would have to hold me up. That’s the thing about FM pain, you can’t trust how your body feels, you have to try anyway. I find that if I stop exercising for more than a few days, my pain increases.
At the time of writing this, I have done my exercise routine 5 days in a row. Each day my reps have increased more and more. I’m not yet at my full reps for every exercise, but I’m only 5-10 away from them! The most important thing is that I didn’t let my fall stop me from exercising. That can be one of the biggest mistakes, to stop exercising. I have found that by keeping my body flexible and strong, my recovery time decreases when I do fall. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do, as long as you have a regular routine that works for you.
What kind of exercise should I do after a fall?
First of all I would suggest something with a lot of stretching, and low impact. We have filmed the exercise routine that keeps my FM at bay, but we are still in the editing stages of that material. Once it is ready, I will link it below. In the mean time, Youtube is a treasure trove of exercise regimes! You can find anything from chair exercises, to yoga, pilates, ballet, stretching, and weight training. My video’s are a compilation of all these things, so I’m hoping to get those out soon! You can also try swimming, or bike riding to get in your cardio, in a joint and muscle friendly way. Take breaks if you need to, but I don’t recommend going more then 2 days without exercising in some way.
A few more tips for a speedy recovery after a fall.
Firstly, Make sure you are consuming enough calcium and magnesium to keep your bones and muscles strong. The magnesium will also help your muscles relax which will decrease the pain. Epsom salts in your bath will also help relieve sore, strained muscles.
Secondly, you should visit your local chiropractor and/or massage therapist. The chiropractor will make sure everything is in alignment. Your massage therapist will help work out stubborn knots in your muscles which will reduce your pain and aide in recovery. The first call I make after a fall is to book my massage therapist, she keeps me mobile! We are blessed to have a great health plan through my husband’s employer that allows me one visit a month. Between my chiropractor and massage therapist, I have been able to keep my FM symptoms at bay.
Inflammatory triggers
Another important thing to do is to keep your diet as clean as possible. Avoiding foods that cause inflammation is really important. Inflammatory foods vary from person to person, but the main culprits are sugars, oil, processed meats, artificial sweeteners, gluten, flavor enhancers like MSG, Fats, coffee, chemical additives, processed and packaged foods, alcohol, foods containing LPS (ie dairy, meat, chocolate). The list goes on and on. If you are interested in more information please contact me and I’d be happy to provide you with more details. For me, strawberries, wheat, corn, oatmeal, and rice will also cause flare ups. Once you have identified a food source that causes your flare ups, avoid them at all costs.
Other triggers include pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, infections, toxins, mold, pesticides, stress, and lifestyle practices. It’s important to remove as many of these triggers as we can. Lifestyle practices which result in a lack of: sleep, exercise (as mentioned above), sunlight and fresh air are easily changeable and provide quick results once reversed. When you mix exercise with access to sunlight and fresh air your health will improve exponentially! When you exercise during the day, you will sleep better at night, so you get to check that box off too! You may need to work with your healthcare professional to step down gradually from any pharmaceutical drugs you are taking, but it can be done! As a certified Health Coach through the Medical Missionary program, I can help you work with your doctor to achieve the results you want.
In conclusion
So in conclusion, the best way to recover after a fall is to continue your exercise regime at a slower pace, remove any trigger foods from your diet, and keep moving forward with a positive attitude. If you need to take a day to rest, that is totally ok as long as you get back to moving your body the next day. FM is not a death sentence. You can have a very fulfilling, active life if you choose to. I can help you achieve your goals for reducing your pain and getting back into life!
One-on-one coaching is a great way to start building your confidence, and improve your health! I offer confidence coaching, health & lifestyle coaching, and exercise coaching. Click here for an application form and I would be happy to help you in your journey. You can also contact me at acgamero16@gmail.com or check out my website: www.nopainallgain.ca
