Stair Safety (Sarah Cody) |
A few weeks before Christmas, I was running downstairs from our bedroom to the kitchen while I was rushing to get the boys out the door to school. I was wearing socks and holding an iron in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. Well, not long after the first or second step, I slipped and went crashing down almost the entire staircase on my butt and back. I didn't drop the items I was holding...therefore, I didn't use my hands, arms or anything to break my fall. I've fallen down a few stairs before...but, this was different. The second I landed, I knew I'd hurt myself. I started to cry...the boys came running....and were so incredibly, wonderfully sweet to their wreck of a mom.
I gathered myself together and started to hobble around. I could move...that was good...but, boy, did my a** hurt. Who has time to go to the doctor?! Not me...I know, I know..."Taking Care of Mom" is a different blog post altogether. We should make the time...but, I didn't. I had baking, blogging and shopping to do. A humongous bruise spread over my backside but, in a few days, most of the weird aches and pains had subsided. Just one spot in my lower back continued to plague me...and now, about 6 weeks later, that area is beginning to heal....although I've been left with an odd "dent" that wasn't previously there. Interior swelling? Who knows...
Just as my falling incident seemed to be coming to a close, I saw a Facebook post from a friend...who also recently took a terrible spill. Her fall included an ambulance and a concussion! Crazy! So, all of this started me thinking about stairs...we all have them....we all run on them...and we should all be pretty careful, apparently.
Take a look at this statistic from the National Safety Council:
In 2007, more than 21,700 Americans died as a result of falls and more than 7.9 million were injured by a fall including over 1.8 million older adults who had a fall-related injury that resulted in an emergency room visit.
Click here for some home safety tips from the N.S.C.
Here is my advice (whatever it's worth):
*Don't run on the stairs especially when wearing socks
*Share safety tips with your kids. My boys are often goofing around with each other when they're on the stairs....wearing their socks.
*Get a runner! I don't think my fall would've been quite so jarring if the stairs were at least partially carpeted...will have to start saving my pennies.
Have you ever gotten a surprise injury at home?
