Falls After a First Fall: What Happens Next
Jake Newby
| 4 min read
Key Takeaways
- One quarter of Americans age 65 or older have a fall annually.
- Difficulties with walking and balance, certain home hazards, foot pain and lower body weakness are some of the many contributing factors to falls.
- After a fall, it's important to breathe, check for injuries, crawl to a sturdy chair and slowly sit down before seeking help.
- Certain delayed symptoms following a fall should warrant immediate urgent or emergency care if experienced.
There is plenty of proactive information available about preventing falls, but what happens after the initial fall, when you need to be reactive?
Falls account for 3 million emergency department visits and 1 million hospitalizations in the United States each year. One quarter of Americans age 65 or older have a fall annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Risk factors that contribute to falling can include:
- Difficulties with walking and balance
- Home hazards or dangers, such as:
- Broken or uneven steps
- Throw rugs or clutter that can be tripped over
- A lack of lighting or poor lighting, especially at night
- Foot pain or poor footwear
- Lower body weakness
- Use of medicines, such as tranquilizers, sedatives or antidepressants. Even some over-the-counter medicines can affect balance and how steady you are on your feet.
- Vision problems
- Vitamin D deficiency (that is, not enough vitamin D in your body)
Most falls are caused by a combination of these risk factors. A person’s chances of falling are greater based on how many risk factors they have. Although older adults are the most likely population to fall, anyone can experience a fall and should be prepared to react properly if they do.
What should I do after a fall?
Here are the five immediate steps to take after suffering a fall.
- Breathe: The National Institute of Health (NIH) recommends remaining still on the floor to get your bearings and taking several deep breaths to try to relax. Do this before even attempting to move.
- Check for injuries: While seated, take a few minutes to evaluate yourself for potential injuries. Are you in pain? Are you bleeding or experiencing numbness? Do you feel dizzy? If you feel severe pain, hit your head, feel confusion or cannot get up on your own, ask someone for help or call 911 immediately.
- Crawl to a sturdy chair: If you think you can crawl safely without help, first roll onto your side before resting again while your body and blood pressure adjust. Next, slowly get up on your hands and knees and crawl to a sturdy chair.
- Slowly sit down: The NIH suggests putting your hands on the chair seat and sliding one foot forward so that it is flat on the floor. You should keep the other leg bent so the knee is on the floor. From this kneeling position, slowly rise and turn your body to sit in the chair.
- Seek help/professional evaluation: If you believe your fall caused mild injuries, call for help or dial emergency services and try to get into a comfortable position while waiting for help to arrive. The NIH recommends preparing for a fall by keeping a well-charged cordless or mobile phone with you at all times and arrange for daily contact with a family member or friend. Emergency response systems – which enable you to push a button on a special necklace or bracelet to call for help – are another option: Some smartwatches also have this feature.
Even if you feel like you avoided serious injury, it’s best to seek evaluation from a health care professional as soon as possible, either in a primary care office or in an urgent care center.
A provider will try to learn what caused the fall by asking if you tripped on something, experienced dizziness or lightheadedness or recently started taking a new medication, to list some examples. They may also check:
- Blood pressure
- Balance and gait
- Heart rhythm
- Vision and hearing
- List of medications, including any sleep aids, sedatives or blood pressure medications you may be taking
What are delayed symptoms after a fall?
Make sure a friend or relative is able to check with you often in the hours, days and weeks after a fall. Together, you should seek immediate urgent or emergency care if any of the delayed symptoms listed below arise.
Even if they end up being unrelated to your fall, exercise caution in having these issues checked out so a health care provider can rule out any relation to your fall:
- Worsening headache or dizziness
- Increased neck/back pain or stiffness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Inability to walk or bear weight
- Changes in hearing and vision, such as blurred or double vision
- Slurred speech
- Loss of balance or coordination
- Inability to walk or bear weight
- Difficulty sleeping
The National Council on Aging has created a Falls Free Check Up to assess your risk of falling. Additionally, this health aging guide is full of info to help older adults maintain good health and independence as they age, including the benefits of regular, low-impact exercise, a healthy diet and keeping up with regular health care visits and screenings.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
