Clumsiness / proprioception

[Llaurin]

I've lost count of the things I've bumped into/fallen over! When I was little, a family friend would sit with his legs tucked right under him on the sofa as I managed to fall over his feet EVERY time he visited, he was paranoid it was him

I seem to be a bit better now - I haven't fallen over for about a month, the last time gave me lovely carpet burns on my knees as I tripped over my feet walking into my living room, try explaining THAT to your mum. My friends are used to me bumping into them as a I walk, I seem to 'lean' towards whoever is next to me, very odd!

[gila]

re carpet burn explanation- I reckon this has to do with our skin also not quite being as it oughta
mine's v thin so I get cuts, grazes, carpet burn etc from 'nothing'

most embarrassing carpet burn which gave me a huge scab on my chin (nearly covering my whole chin) and several small scabs on my cheeks and above lips was from ...lots of snogging
xxg

[nemonie]

I regularly smack myself with cupboard doors/car doors and regular doors - usually in the head or face I really should try and be more careful.

[ktwf2]

Just wanted to let you know that there's this interesting short video on YouTube that made me think of my childhood and provides a good excuse for odd behaviour :

Brain Highways: The Proprioceptive System
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2iOliN3fAE

I never realized that chewing my clothes and hair, like I used to do, had anything to do with my condition!

Kind regards,
Kate

[Superstottie]

Wow - that has just described my children perfectly! I now feel bad for telling them off all the time for tapping, chewing and my daughters favourite of sitting on everyone! Maybe I will have to lighten up on them a little and try to understand why they are doing it. Thanks for sharing!! x

[shen]

wow, that describes my childhood almost perfectly. I was always getting into trouble for rocking my chair, tapping my foot, chewing my hair and generally just fidgeting way too much. It also explains why my concentration was so poor at times when i was unable to do such things. In fact watching that video, i noticed i was wiggling my toes continuously! I still rock on my chair too when i'm studying. I don't chew my hair any more, but if i have tassels on my clothes i still chew them sometimes. I chew my lip a lot though.

I wonder if holding pens/pencils too tights is part of the reason why we have so much pain when writing, putting extra strain on the joints with the grip, and working the muscles harder making it more tiring and painful.

[serenity79]

I was considered a 'well-behaved' child apart from the fact that I was always being pulled up on fidgeting!! For me moving around in the seat was the only way I could get through the day At least NOW I know why!

[Ninjen]

HA! I'm so glad I'm not alone in this....

I have too many things to list that happen on a daily basis, and they do get worse when I'm tired. The other night I literally threw my dinner all over the floor. That was a new one! I'm super clumsy and constantly trip, bump, spill things. For me though, it is wires. Doesn't matter where a wire is in the room, I will fall over it. Could be anything, tv wire, x box controller, hairdryer wire (That reminds me, I need a new one again...) I will purposely over exaggerate my movements to pass wires and still trip over them. Really annoys me too and gets me so frustrated do wires.

I do tend to find my mishaps quite funny, which doesn't help when other people have mishaps. Apparently, it's okay to laugh at yourself but not others!

[thalia]

I used to be known as Mr Bump, though i should have been Miss Bump of course I don't think a day has gone by when I haven't bumped into something, though not always to the extent of bruising. I do always have bruises on several parts of my body, and my other half is quite used to me getting ready for bed and saying 'oh, how did I get that one?' It's actually become a past-time for me to wander round the house trying to work out what's at the right height to have caused a bruise, lol. Coincidentally a neighbour who's become a good friend, and who is also hypermobile has the same problem and we often compare notes, and help each other find the offending item of furniture, lol

It's good to know we're not alone, and not completely mad either

[nataliejane81]

I was always known as "miss wriggle bottom" by my mum ^_^ when I saw a Musculoskeletal specialist recently he also said he instantly thought of HMS by the way I moved my hands & fidgeted without knowing it

As for proprioception; I often feel like I'm walking through a "house of fun" with wonky floors. I constantly walk into walls, cupboards, door frames etc!!

[gila]

ktwf2- great little video! thanks!

and yep that was me- (my mum gave me a handkerchief to chew on cause otherwise all my tops had chewed collars or sleeves ) and yep quite a few of those things I still do... unless I sit with leg under me or 'all scrunched up'... I tap, but camouflaging it a bit by tapping a rhythm using both feet or like shen I forever wiggle my toes, or ankles or
as I just noticed ...one of my 'faves' fast tensing/relaxing of buttocks muscles (bf says 'yep you do this 24/7, sitting, standing, anywhere' - I didnt realize he'd noticed, cause I dont notice ), holding/gripping anything ... ,
but I dont invade personal space... if anything I've gone the other way

and nope I'm not really clumsy anymore- but am wondering how much of a role compensating for having carp proprio ( the 'forever tensing' bits, having to think before/as you do instead of 'just doing' etc) plays in muscle pain/fatigue and fatigue in general...

oh and for the older peops- remember "zappel phillip" (fidgety phillip ??) in the morality tales for kids book "shock headed peter"? me thinks poor guy did have carp proprio - and his severely frowned upon way of 'balancing on the back legs of chairs'... was my fave way of sitting on chairs as a kid
xxg

[shen]

Since watching that video i have become very aware of what im doing now! I also touch my fingers together quite alot too, especially when I am reading something. or tap them against my lip.

My dad used to notice these behaviours, the repetitiveness of it all, he was concerned for a while that i might be autistic because i had very poor social skills and with the hypersensitivity I hated certain textures against my skin and would freak out if they touched me and loud noises upset me a lot. Its interesting how it all links in with the HMS.

OH laughs at my toe wiggling habit. Every time he notices he shouts 'wiggle my toesies!' which makes me laugh, because i dont even notice im doing it I think i developed it as a way of getting past being told off for tapping my feet, wiggling my toes let me get that feedback without making a noise. Unfortunately OH does tend to be on the receiving end of my clumsiness... a number of times i've gone to wipe something from his face and poked him in the eye by accident, or moved my arm/leg and punched/kicked him somewhere. Though he does get to laugh when i do it too myself too, going to scratch my nose and poking myself in the eye, or opening something and hitting myself in the face....

[yosafbridge]

That videos great And I can so relate to this thread.

but I dont invade personal space... if anything I've gone the other way

Me too,I've always been teased about how much bigger my 'personal space' is than other peoples but,as well as not liking being touched,if I get too close to another person my body seems to get magnetised and I crash into or land on them I'm the same with objects,especially walls,unless theres a forcefield of air around me I get sucked into things

going to scratch my nose and poking myself in the eye, or opening something and hitting myself in the face....

I picked up a lettuce in my kitchen recently and saw it had gone a bit squelshy underneath,went to sniff it to see if it was off or just wet and full on custard-pied myself in the face with it Learning about 'proprioception issues' is really helping me (try to) be more patient with my body though,rather than raging at it for being either useless or deliberately against me as I'd thought all my life

[Llaurin]

Does anyone else have the uncanny ability to lasso the belt loops on your jeans around every door handle you pass? I've lost count of the times I've breezed through a door, only to jerk to an abrupt stop - usually with disastrous consequences to anything I'm holding.

At least the jeans survive, which is more than I can say for my cotton trousers, my dressing gown, my shorts... pretty much anything with non-triple-stitched belt loops.

[jolajo]

Haha! All the time with the belt loops! And opening cupboard doors with my jeans pockets. I'm so clumsy, I think door frames are the worst for me, I just can't seem to make it through without banging into the sides.

Chairs can be a problem too. I'm a teacher (just qualified!) and managing to stand up and then sit back down on the same chair in assembly is incredibly hard, I have nearly missed my chair too many times- I'd be so mortified if I fell on the floor in front of all the kids and the other teachers!