It occurs to me that recently whenever I’ve been to the doctor’s office, they’ve asked me if I’ve fallen in the last 3 months.
How do athletes, like basketball and football players, answer this question?
I’d guess by explaining their personal circumstances. IIUC, doctors are usually wondering about falls that do not have obvious causes or involve losing consciousness.
I would imagine they’d answer ‘no’, especially since the type of falls I think you’re referring to are, for all intents and purposes, intentional.
Similarly, even though I occasionally stand up and lose my balance when I realize I’m about to put my weight onto something painful (ie lego brick), I wouldn’t mention that to a doctor. It’s not like it was a neurological or physical thing, I just didn’t see the lego on the floor.
So far as I know, they’re looking for things like getting dizzy and falling or fainting or if your knees or hips are giving out. I don’t think running on the grass and getting tackled counts as falling.
I guess from my POV, I mentally rephrase the question as something closer to ‘have you fallen for no apparent reason?’.
The only people they ask that of are the old or the infirm. Currently active athletes are neither.
So the issue of “how to answer” just about never arises for them.
Although an orthopedist may ask just to determine how well that knee replacement is working.
I’m wondering how old OP is. I just did a checkup and that didn’t come up. Mid-50s. Past the age to be considered an athlete even though I am still quite active. About bit it stepping out of the shower the other day though!
Same, I just did a checkup in my early 50s and the question wasn’t asked. I assume athletes, professional/college ones at least, see physicians who are aware that the patient is an athlete anyway.
Old? Guidelines advise starting at the youthful age of 65. That ain’t old!
I’m not exactly an athlete but I exercise and every so not very often my foot catches an even bit of sidewalk on a long run and I tumble. The only thing I have ever hurt is my pride. I land well. Embarrassing. Now that I am over 65 maybe I’ll get the question. Should I just lie?
Why would you lie?
One possibility, depending on what the patient reports, is that said doctor might decide the patient should not be permitted to drive and would notify the relevant licensing body. This could especially be a worry for someone whose job involves driving.
Not that I advocate lying to keep driving if you bloody well should not be because you have a medical issue that makes you unsafe behind the wheel, mind you! The patient needs to consider whether the situation is dangerous to themselves or others and be honest about this.
Yes. Doctors are especially concerned by falls that have no obvious external cause because they might reveal something amiss internally, like a heart dysrhythmia that momentarily decreases blood pressure.
And they worry about falls of any cause in people who are old enough to break hips or get brain bleeds, falling from a standing position.
Yeah, I’m old enough to get this question. I answered last time with “oh hell yes! My icy driveway’s custom made for that.”
That might depend on the doctor. I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head if I get asked that question at my GP, but my neurologist, that I see for migraines, asks me every time. I get the ‘have your fallen’ question as often as I get the ‘are you safe at home’ question.
Because that sort of fall isn’t what they are screening for?
Another question I’ve never received at the doctor. However, my last visit did have a check-in sheet to fill out about depression, anxiety levels, etc. I’ve never seen that before.
You sure about that? how often do other runners get tripped up and fall on uneven sidewalks?
Tell your doc the truth, and explain the circumstances so you can figure out together whether your falls were due entirely to athletic circumstances that would cause a normal/healthy person to fall, or whether there might be a balance/coordination issue contributing to the problem that merits further investigation. You’re paying for the exam, get your money’s worth out of it.
How do you know? How do you know that you haven’t got a sight issue, or a balance issue, or an ankle issue, or anything else which might cause you to misstep? Doesn’t hurt to mention it.
Edit: or what they said
On the one hand I am seriously absolutely confident my balance is fine and would not want any of the time of a visit spent having to discuss it. But I would answer honestly and I was more responding to @Joey_P’s reply of not including when he steps on a Lego.
It’s a screening question. A positive might mean a follow up question to clarify that it isn’t the sort of fall they are looking for, but we should let them do their thing and not do their thing ourselves. Or assume we know what they are trying to find out. An athlete can ask back “other than doing my sport?” but if for some reason asked they should still answer. Yeah me too even though I know my fall is not what they are screening for.
I’m not seeing how an athlete is immune - we’ve all witnessed tragic stories of high performing athletes dropping dead mid-game. Not to pick on your example DSeid, but if I had fallen while running more than once*, I think my Doctor might want to know about it.
- (I do run, and can’t recall ever falling apart from that one time I turned to look at my dog while on the treadmill.)
I think a physician should know when their patient is an athlete and not ask a question that simple relating to their physical condition. They could ask the patient if they’ve had any new injuries from their sport, and more specific questions based on their history and the actual sport they participate in. It would be a silly question for most athletes who are well under the age where it would be a concern for most people.
My Garmin gives me more data than I could ever want: my “vertical oscillation” is low, averaging between 6 to 7 cm with a cadence of about 180 to 190. IOW my feet don’t go very high off the ground when running. It’s not quite but is almost a shuffle. Plus I typically have a midfoot strike, so toes are not up like heel strikers probably are. (That allegedly that is good form for distance running, 5 to 10 vertical oscillation listed as ideal, low good, higher bad, and the cadence is good too, but then why have I always been so damn slow?) I also get deep in thought on longer runs and am not paying enough attention other than when getting to corners or near others. My balance is fine (to brag a bit, I can stand single legged eyes closed for well over a minute) but I am still a klutz.
Point remains that if asked I should answer truthfully even though I am confident it does not represent a problem. So should an athlete, masters or younger if the question was asked.