What should I do if I fall and hurt myself?

What harm will falls cause to the body?

The injury caused by a fall to the body can be light or heavy. In light cases, it may only be skin bruises, while in serious cases, it may cause fracture and cerebral hemorrhage.

Due to physical reasons, the elderly are more likely to fall down than other people, and are more likely to suffer serious injuries after falling down.

What should I do if I fall and hurt myself?

Step 1: Fall

(1) Don’t panic, lie prone on the floor for help.

(2) If you are alone at home, move slowly to assess whether you are injured.

(3) If you can move, slowly climb to the nearest wall, sofa or chair and try to help and stand up.

(4) If you cannot move or crawl, find ways to contact your family, neighbors or 120 as soon as possible.

Step 2: Find someone else falling down

The more serious conditions that may occur after falling are fracture and intracranial hemorrhage. Therefore, attention should be paid to observation:

(1) Whether the limbs suffer from pain, inability to move or deformation, etc.;

(2) Observe whether the consciousness is clear, whether the face is normal (whether there is blue or pale), whether there is vomiting, etc.

In case of any of the above situations, they should be sent to the emergency department of the hospital in time.

How to prevent falls?

The most common serious injury after falling is fracture, especially hip fracture. If there is no surgical treatment after fracture, you can only lie in bed for a long time, and eventually you often die of skin ulceration, pneumonia, thrombosis, etc. due to poor care. Therefore, [prevention] is more important than [how to do].

1. Awareness of health status and medication

(1) Accept ophthalmic examination and cardiovascular examination at least once a year.

(2) Ensure sufficient calcium and vitamin D in diet.

(3) Quit smoking.

(4) Avoid excessive drinking.

(5) Pay attention to the drug instructions. Many drugs will cause fatigue or change mental state, thus greatly increasing the risk of falling.

Step 2 Exercise

(1) Formulate appropriate and effective exercise plans according to specific conditions.

(2) If physical conditions permit, taking part in some exercise activities that can increase agility, strength, balance and coordination, such as walking, dancing and appropriate strength training, can help improve bone strength and slow down the process of osteoporosis.

(3) Communicate more with peers, share their exercise plans, and improve their health level and quality of life.

Step 3: Choose the right shoes

Try to choose non-slip shoes that do not need to tie shoelaces, and replace old or deformed shoes in time.

Step 4: Improve your home environment

A large number of studies have shown that even the simplest modification at home can greatly reduce the probability of falling. The main purpose of modification is to prevent skid, reduce obstacles and ensure lighting.Click to view: How to improve furniture and prevent falls