Two Demons in My Life

It seems like excess stress and fatigue are two demons that seem to sap the strength right out of me.

I never really noticed the impact of stress on me until I was in a fender-bender several years ago. Because of traffic problems, I was already late for an appointment. I was feeling the stress before pulling into the parking garage. As I looked for a parking space, a car backed out of a parking stall right into me. When I stepped out of my car to exchange insurance information, I noticed my legs were like rubber and I was having a difficult time standing. I was so concerned that I might fall that I had to sit on the hood of my car. Even though I was fine (no injuries), it still took a couple of hours for my strength to fully recover.

I also have to be extra careful if I am fatigued. I cannot trust my legs to hold me up unless I remain focused. My wife and I use to hike in the mountains every chance we could. By the end of a day of hiking up and down hills, my quad muscles would be wiped out (wobbly legs … almost like rubber) from the altitude (less oxygen for the muscles) and the exercise. Any deviation from thinking about the next step especially when going downhill would result in a fall. I experienced plenty of falls in those days, but fortunately, nothing serious happened (no injuries).

Another example of the impact of fatigue on my muscles happened several years ago at one of the company's mills. I went on a tour of the complex with the mill manager. We walked for over two hours. The most difficult part of the tour was the three-story high catwalks. Unfortunately, to get to these walkways you had to go up and down a series of stairways. By the time we had finished the tour, my legs were wiped out. I was holding onto handrails and hoping that I could make it back to the offices. At the sales office, I only had six more steps to navigate to be home free. On the third step, my knees just buckled and I went down hard. The mill manager was so shocked because one minute I was walking right beside him and the next moment I was down. The result was a broken fibula and ankle in the right leg. The toughest part of the injury was the six-hour flight back home in a temporary cast. Flying six hours in filled to capacity airplanes and changing planes in Denver is an experience I never want to go through again.

Another thing I have noticed is that after a fall, it takes several moments to regain my strength. I am not certain why; perhaps it is because I am stressed because of the fall. All I know is that it is difficult to stand up immediately afterwards. The leg muscles just do not want to respond and hold me up. It usually takes a few minutes for me to regain my concentration and lock my knees. If someone is helping me up, I have to tell them to hold on until I give the okay (knees are locked and I am in control again).

I am curious. Has anyone else noticed any relationship between stress and muscle weakness? In addition, after a fall, do you have problems initially getting the leg muscles to work correctly?


 
Please feel free to comment. By taking a moment to share your thoughts you add much to these articles. The articles then become more than just something I said or believe. In addition, by adding a comment, you might just be helping the next reader by sharing your opinion, experience, or a helpful tip. You can comment by clicking on "comments" below or by sending me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.