How To Get Up From The Floor After A Fall

The #1 Thing To Do Before Getting Up After A Fall

The number one thing you need to do is calm yourself down first.

Check around and reassure yourself that you haven't hit your head and that you aren't bleeding severely.

Then after you've done that, if you can make sure that you're overall fairly okay, then think about how you're going to navigate the situation.

Don't panic and just react.

Think through it clearly first, get a game plan, and then start to move.

Get To A Sturdy Object

The first thing you want to do after you've calmed yourself down is to crawl over to a sturdy, firm object like a couch.

You can either army crawl with your arms, , or if you can, push up to your hands and knees and crawl on all fours.

What I Have Bad Knees?

If you do have bad knees from knee arthritis or some other kind of knee pain, it may be painful to kneel or crawl,  but it likely won't cause you any further knee damage.

Even if you've had a knee replacement that's been more than a few months ago, it is okay to crawl on your hands and knees.

Think about the situation as being in survival.

It's better to suffer through a little bit of knee pain and get up from the floor after a fall than it is to lie on the floor until someone may (or may not) find you.

So reassure yourself that if you are having that pain, nothing is being harmed or damaged. You're getting yourself to a safer situation.

Technique #1 To Get Up From The Floor After A Fall

Once you've gotten over to a sturdy object, there are a couple of strategies you can use to get up.

The first one is to step up with one leg if at all possible, get in kind of a lunge position.

That will put pressure on this knee that's on the ground, so if you have one knee that's more painful, you might choose to step up with the painful knee so you're kneeling on the less painful knee.

The Catch 22 to that is that you'll be using the leg that you step up with to stand back up.

So it's a good idea to practice getting up from the floor proactively before having a fall. That way you'll know which leg works better for you.

Once you've gotten into a half-kneeling lunge position, then put your hands on the firm surface (couch or chair).

Alternatively, you can put one hand on the surface, and one hand on the thigh that's up.

Next, try to get your butt up in the air by putting your head down toward the ground.

When your head goes down, your butt will come up.

So bring your head down while pushing your butt up using your leg and your hands.

Then you walk the other leg forward.

Finally, push your hips back underneath of  you to come back up to a standing position.

But again, you need to calm yourself down first.

There probably will be a little bit of pain when standing up from the floor after a fall, especially if you do have knee arthritis.

You can do it if you keep yourself calm, but if you panic, the pain will probably stop you.

To learn how to get up from a lunge position without knee pain, read my post about Tips To Stop Knee Pain From Lunges

Technique 2 To Get Up From The Floor After A Fall

If you just absolutely cannot put pressure on your knees to get up from the floor after a fall, the other option is to push up into a downward-facing dog position.

Once you get fully up into a downward facing dog position, step forward with one foot.

Next step forward with the other leg to come up to a standing position.

This technique does require a little bit more upper body strength as well as hamstring and calf flexibility than the first.  Your knees don't touch the ground though.

So again, try this out BEFORE having a fall so that you know which technique will work better for your.

Having a plan of what you would do in the situation that you fell, that will help you if that situation does actually happen.  As the saying goes:

"If you fail to plan, then plan to fail."

For most people the first technique is probably the best strategy.

But try them out for yourself and see what works best for you.  Just make sure there's someone around who can help you get back up from the floor if needed.

Fall Prevention Strategies

Now, obviously, it is a good idea to try to minimize your fall risk as best as possible.

Check out this post on 3 Best Balance Exercises For Seniors To Improve Balance At Home.

Or better yet, get help from a specialist physical therapist in your area.

Need Help To Prevent Falls or Learn How To Get Up From The Floor After A Fall?

If you live in the St. Louis area, we'd be happy to help you reduce your fall risk here at More 4 Life. Just tap the button below to request an appointment with one of our specialist physical therapists.

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