This past weekend I went to my friends summer home. To get to it, you need to walk down a path with rocky stairs with no handrails to hold onto. I have been using a walking stick to help me get down. As I go down I would bend forward, this would through my balance off. So I thought there might be a better way, so I cut a poll to 8 feet and I was amazed of how much safer I felt going down the stairs, having a poll 8 feet prevents me from bending over and my balance is better.
Try using two poles! I’ve done that before and it feels pretty secure.
Hi Jack!
I'm sure I've seen posts on here where people get better results with balance when
they use hiking poles, so what you did must be similar. Actually, I've found that
getting around the garden is better if I use an upturned rake/hoe, so that's a similar
aid as well. It must be something to do with keeping upright and your centre of
balance. We have two lots of steps in our garden, neither has a handrail, they
were installed by the previous owner. I was only weeding but I lost my balance
on them recently and just avoided a 6ft drop!
Hi there,
I was recently at a garden party at my husband's son's house. Very uneven and rocky floor and I barely made it "non-chalantly" to a chair. If there had been stairs w/o a banister or anyone's arm, I would used a sitting position to get down .But I never tried to ascend stairs that way. N
Beryl Park said:
Hi Jack!
I'm sure I've seen posts on here where people get better results with balance when
they use hiking poles, so what you did must be similar. Actually, I've found that
getting around the garden is better if I use an upturned rake/hoe, so that's a similar
aid as well. It must be something to do with keeping upright and your centre of
balance. We have two lots of steps in our garden, neither has a handrail, they
were installed by the previous owner. I was only weeding but I lost my balance
on them recently and just avoided a 6ft drop!
- As the daughter of an RAF MP Flight Sgt. I was taught to march instead of toddle, it left me with the constant voice in my ear, head up, shoulders back, walk tall! I must admit this helped me no end with balance when I could walk, eventually had to use a chair for outside though.
Cool ! I have a set of hiking poles for outside, a cut off broomstick by the front door also. For me, adapting to the challenge is crucial to having a " normal" life. Overcome and conquer the obstacles is my motto.
What a great idea. I must remember that. There are a few places I would love to go but they have steps. Thank you for sharing.
In extreme cases, you can sit on the stairs and use you rump muscles for getting down. Not very elegant but do-able and better than falling.
At home, I go downstairs backwards, hanging on to the railing with one or two hands, depending on my degree of dizziness at the moment. If I go facing down, I feel pulled by gravity and it seems I am going to fall flat on my face. Of course, falling flat on my derrière and back is not much better, but the bruises would be less visible…
Stairs without railing are scary. I don’t know how, as a child I used to jump from 12 steps high. I shutter when I think of it…