"You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out, you put your right foot in and you shake it all about. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, and that's what it's all about…." - the Ram Trio
When I was little, I used to love that song. Unfortunately I can't say that it improved my right and left decifering skills all that much (I might be hopelessly inept that way), but it was such a fun song to sing and dance to, that it has stayed with me all of these years. And what does that have to do with anything recovery related?
Well, it all boils down to one thing…
Don't do the hokey pokey so you can do the hokey pokey.
Huh? Allow me to explain. The first part of the above sentence is figurative, and the latter is literal. Lets start with the figurative part first.
How you ever noticed how slippery ice and snow can be? Of course you have. I'd bet that you have especially noticed this when sprawled on your back with one foot in the car and the other under it. Not so fun I know. Here's my big tip towards preventing that in the future: remember the words to the hokey pokey, and imagine something hokey poking you should you put those words into action when you are entering a car in winter. Why?
Well, have you ever noticed that when people talk about hurting themselves when getting into their car that their story begins with "I put my right foot in, and was getting the rest of my body in the car when I slipped..." Or, "I put my foot into the car, but just on the edge so that I could bend down and brush the snow off before getting the rest of the way into the car..." It's a common thing though, as movements involving rotation of the back - especially reflex postural ones (when your body is responding to the falling threat) are big culprits of back pain and injury. This is true even if you haven't actually fallen. When you are putting just one foot in the car, you are making your back do a rotational movement and so it doesn't take much for things to go wrong.
Also, you know that when the movies show cars riding on two wheels it's clear that it's more perilous than with all four wheels on the ground? It doesn't always result in damage but the potential is there in a large way? Well, the same can be said for getting into the car the way most people do (foot then bum while twisting,then other foot). If you add to that the big risk of falling in general given pronounced weakness or instability that may be present as a result of your current health status - well, in that case you are just asking for trouble.
So then, what do we do? Refuse to go anywhere that involves traveling by car in the winter? No, of course not!!!! But, there is a fairly easy remedy; put your bum in the car first. What? With both feet on the ground, face the driver seat with your bum. When you feel the seat at the back of your knees, plop your bum down. Watch your head if you are not used to getting in this way:). Now, once your bum is in, brush the snow off your legs to your heart's content and then bring your legs around carefully, turning your body all at once.Take the same precautions on your way out, remembering to scoot your bum to the edge of the seat before trying to stand (for better control and balance). Don't forget to ask your physician or physiotherapist before changing the way that you do something like this to ensure it is the right thing for you.
Of course this all gets trickier when we look at how big and high off the ground so many of today's vehicles are, but the same principles apply (i.e.turn your entire body towards the open car door, and put both feet on the ground before standing). You may need a little extra help from someone until you have it working smoothly, (or indefinitely if needed, but let's focus on the "till smoothly" plan). Still, there is no shame in asking for help. I'm sure that even if you didn't want to have to inconvenience your spouse or other caregiver at all by always asking for assistance for this, they'd be a whole lot happier assisting you in/out of a vehicle safely than having you in copious amounts of pain and doing another hospital trip too). Otherwise, you may find that many large vehicles have running boards and other aids to help people get into big vehicles, but be careful because they can also be a challenge in terms of balance for some. Ask for help if you need it, and, obviously, don't if you don't, and always ask for a spotter if you just aren't sure.
Okay, so, winding things up I say this: don't enter your vehicle all hooky-poke-i-ly-like by sticking a leg in, or putting it back in and out to brush off the snow. Instead, lead with your bum. Now you can brush off snow to your hearts content, and then turn your whole body in to face the steering wheel. It isn't hard, it's just hard to remember to do sometimes.
And the literal part of the hokey pokey I mentioned? Well, if you are putting the suggested methods above into place, you stand not only a better chance of feeling better, stronger, and in less pain than if you had added a fall to your current medical state, but it might actually be possible to do something fun in the absence of a fall. Like what you ask? Like finding a child(ren) you love and doing the REAL hokey pokey with them. What better gift can you give yourself than that of doing silly and fun things with a child? And don't forget to laugh while you are doing the actions with them, "'cause that's what it's all about!"
Happy bum leading!
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