Help My Partner Clunk His Head Less

July 2, 2017 6:34 PM

My partner sustained a concussion several months ago, and is (thankfully) mostly healed. But as a person with a tendency toward clumsiness, he occasionally knocks his head by mistake-- on a low ceiling, a fridge door, a hanging lamp-- and this sends him into a panic. Even a light bump is terrifying for him. It's also bad for the recovery. How can he do this less?

We're open to any ideas-- from tips or tricks to being more aware of where his body is in relation to things around him, to some kind of anti-clumsiness training, to ideas for giant inflatable hats he can wear, to a seminar on proprioception. Seriously. It's awful to think that he might set his recovery back just through klutziness! Can he a) become less injury-prone and/or b) simply protect his noggin somehow?

posted by Mystical Listicle to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

I knew a child who wore a bicycle helmet all the time for a few years for similar reasons. There are some pretty fashionable bike helmets out in the world these days.
posted by aniola at 6:37 PM on July 2, 2017

I started doing yoga specifically to become more aware of my body and be less clumsy. To avoid reinjuring my back, not my head. It helped.
posted by Aquifer at 6:38 PM on July 2, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'd suggest tai chi. That helped me improve my priopreception. Maybe a hat, with a big brim to act like feelers.
posted by tilde at 6:46 PM on July 2, 2017

Due to some ongoing pain issues, my balance/gait are often just slightly "off," so I have found it's helpful to avoid the random head-clunking (and also the knee or hip-bashing) by more consciously using my hands to help navigate space. For example: in the bathroom, when I bend down to place something below the sink, I will keep one hand up above me, on the edge of the sink, so that when I stand up, I hoist myself right past the clunk zone.
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 6:50 PM on July 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

Bicycle helmets are not protective against concussions, unfortunately.

Is your partner in physiotherapy for the concussion? Vestibular physiotherapy might help to address the proprioception issue.
posted by sea change at 6:56 PM on July 2, 2017 [4 favorites]

I'm prone to smacking my face on things, so after I had surgery to fix a broken nose/septum(which yes, was a result of my clumsy ass self), I wore a baseball cap or other brimmed hat pretty much all the time for a month. It helped me be far more aware of how close my head/face is to things. It's also not humiliating like a helmet.


And yes, touch stuff. Keep a hand on counter edges/cabinet doors/etc. It helps a lot. Generally us clumsier folk just need a bit more input to be able to get a feel for our surrounding space and movement therein.
posted by InkDrinker at 7:22 PM on July 2, 2017 [11 favorites]

You've probably already done this, but going through the house and systematically addressing anything that can either bump his head (i.e., take out or raise pendulous light fixtures, replace upper cabinet doors with curtains, etc.), and arrangements and obstacles that lead to dodging/weaving/tripping/inattentiveness.

So, if there's a table that's right next to a jutting cabinet, so that he has to lean slightly to thread a path between them, move the table _under_ the cabinet or move it further _away_ from the cabinet. If the bed is wedged 10" away from a wall with a framed picture, either move the picture or the bed. Keep aisles wide and clear, etc.
posted by amtho at 7:28 PM on July 2, 2017 [5 favorites]

Always look in the direction you're walking.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 7:39 PM on July 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm 6 ft. tall and used to live in a submarine. Practice moving more slowly and deliberately. If you're moving slowly, the worst you can get is an annoying tap. It's that easy (but not easy, until it's a habit).

Also, plan your movement with intentionality, as if you had to ask air traffic control for permission. Don't change your mind and do something else mid-movement. It's hard at first, but becomes subconscious and invisible.

There are only a few things that really need you to move quickly (fire, flooding, etc.) and even then only for a few minutes. Then you can slow down and think things through again.
posted by ctmf at 7:52 PM on July 2, 2017 [8 favorites]

I'd actually advise against the helmet. We used to have a lot of banged heads when we went into the shipyard and started making people wear hard hats. Turns out, having your head be two inches higher than your eyes are used to accounting for, after you're muscle-memory-trained exactly how much you have to subconsciously duck in every location as you walk around is... well, it's kind of funny until you've banged your head the hundredth time of the day.
posted by ctmf at 7:59 PM on July 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

Big hair or a slim artist hat to give some extra sensory perception?
posted by nickggully at 8:10 PM on July 2, 2017

Yoga, dance, fighting art, gymnastics, climbing, skateboard, balance or wobble board, stability ball...
posted by fritillary at 8:29 PM on July 2, 2017

Like ctmf I suggest avoiding hats .. when I wear a hat it obscures my vision and I bump my head more.

For avoiding head bumps on low things in the home, the best solution is to tape a piece of paper so it hangs down from the potential hazard; it's much easier to spot something in front of your face. Some very tall friends (6'7" and up) who live in a rather old house with low doorways taught me that trick, and it's saved my head on the pipes in our basement many times (though less often if I'm wearing my hat).
posted by anadem at 9:29 PM on July 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

I find when I bump my head, it's for one of the following reasons:

- I'm thinking about something other than the physical action I am currently doing (the next thing on my to do list; what to cook for dinner; random topic);

- I'm rushing/hurrying;

- I'm underslept. Lack of sleep = extra clumsiness.

- I've left a cupboard door open above me.
posted by Murderbot at 6:22 AM on July 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

Sounds like proprioception exercises would help. Perhaps see a PT for a session, they could give you a rundown on how to improve.
posted by Trifling at 8:52 AM on July 3, 2017

Occupational therapy.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:54 AM on July 3, 2017

put bright post-it notes on everything around the house that he has bumped in order to make those spots more noticeable, so he pays more subconscious attention
posted by rmless at 11:44 AM on July 3, 2017

I think something like Alexander Technique or yoga that encourages mindfulness about where the body is would be helpful. PT can also sometimes do this.

I would keep track of all actual hits or near-misses so that he's consciously aware of where those hazards are and perhaps can rearrange things to minimize them. Like, I whack my head on a slanted ceiling above the stairs down from our attic pretty frequently and am thinking about dangling something from the area to remind me to duck.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 12:04 PM on July 3, 2017