Do You Ever 'Forget' How To Walk Down Stairs?

[Donger]

I'm trying to ascertain whether or not something's wrong with me. At least a couple of times a week, I have to physically stop when I'm going down stairs and think about what my next step should be. I asked my wife if she did this as well, and she just called me an idiot and laughed, but I'm willing to bet that others do this as well (the forgetting how to walk down stairs bit).

So?

[milkman]

In this case, I believe you're wife is right.

Your and idiot.

[luv]

If it's dark, I usually think I'm at the bottom when I'm not. It's a weird feeling to take a step forward and your foot goes lower than you think it should. It has almost tripped me up a few times.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by luv

If it's dark, I usually think I'm at the bottom when I'm not. It's a weird feeling to take a step forward and your foot goes lower than you think it should. It has almost tripped me up a few times.

And that, luv, is one of the reasons that I obsessively count stairs. Not only so that I know how many there are, but so that I never have to worry about having one left. I haven't lived in my parents home in almost 10 years, but I can tell you the stairs to the second floor have 14 steps, while the stairs to the basement have 15. And all the floors in my former dorm room had 8 stairs at every level, except the top one, that had 9.

[Hydrae]

Originally Posted by Roof Pig!

And that, luv, is one of the reasons that I obsessively count stairs. Not only so that I know how many there are, but so that I never have to worry about having one left. I haven't lived in my parents home in almost 10 years, but I can tell you the stairs to the second floor have 14 steps, while the stairs to the basement have 15. And all the floors in my former dorm room had 8 stairs at every level, except the top one, that had 9.

Interesting, I count stairs as well. I am surprised by how many places have 13 steps between floors.

Do you do any other "mental math" things in your normal life? I used to walk a lot to get places. I would take addresses and add the digits together to see if the original number is divisible by 3.

[luv]

Originally Posted by Hydrae

Interesting, I count stairs as well. I am surprised by how many places have 13 steps between floors.

Do you do any other "mental math" things in your normal life? I used to walk a lot to get places. I would take addresses and add the digits together to see if the original number is divisible by 3.

When I was younger, I would count the number of telephone posts that were between our house and where we were going. Things constantly remind me of algebra. I think to myself how I could put a certain circumstance into an algebraic equation.

Oh and there are 18 steps to get up to my floor at my apartment building.

I know you weren't talking to me, but that's never stopped me from putting my two cents in before. Hope you don't mind.

[JimNasium]

Dementia can affect language, comprehension, motor skills, short-term memory, ability to identify commonly used items, reaction time, personality traits, and executive functioning. Even without signs of general intellectual decline, delusions are common in dementia (15-56% incidence rate in Alzheimer's type, and 27-60% incidence rate in multi-infarct dementia). Often these delusions take the form of monothematic delusions, like mirrored self-misidentification.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Hydrae

Interesting, I count stairs as well. I am surprised by how many places have 13 steps between floors.

Do you do any other "mental math" things in your normal life? I used to walk a lot to get places. I would take addresses and add the digits together to see if the original number is divisible by 3.

I watch the seams between sidewalk cracks, and my step patterns have to be left foot on the crack, right foot in between, left foot BARELY on the crack, right foot in between, left foot OFF the crack, right foot ON the crack, rinse repeat.

[bkkcoh]

i feel the same way, but is it because my ankles and knees don't want to work first thin in the morning... Old age is a bitch.....

[FAX]

I don't have problems with stairs.

But, sometimes I stand in front of a door for several minutes before I remember how to open it.

Does this happen to you, Mr. Donger?

FAX

[cmh6476]

not yet...

[morphius]

Not even the tendonitis in my knees causes me to have to pause and think about the stairs.

Maybe your legs are revolting from all the years of not being washed?

[wazu]

Not even once in my life, even when drunk.

[chagrin]

I have done that alot on stairs, but it is related to my balance being somewhat off since I had brain surgery, have you considered you may have too much on your mind and are simply too involved in thinking about this or dealing with it and it just gets in the way of normal acts?

It happens...

[Donger]

The responses so far do not fill me with encouragement.